...
By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
When the Toronto Blue Jays get down, they simply do not panic.
A 5-0 deficit in Wednesday's rubber match with the Cincinnati Reds turned into an impressive 13-9 win for the Blue Jays, putting them 3 1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees as both teams lost.
Putting up 13 runs starts with one, and the Blue Jays got that one thanks to a solo home run from leadoff man George Springer, one of the resurgent stars of Major League Baseball this season.
Read More on MLB
...
Springer's blast went 417 feet to straightaway center field against Reds starter Zack Littell. He added a single in the fifth, and the next batter, Addison Barger, homered to tie the game at five.
Manager John Schneider not only gave Springer credit for sparking the comeback, but he had a clear message for the rest of the league after the game: this four-time All-Star deserves Most Valuable Player consideration.
"I think to me, the key at-bat was George. After we're down five, that was an unbelievable swing to hit it out to dead center, and he's been doing it all year," Schneider said, per Mike Petraglia of MLB.com. "And I'll say it now, I think he deserves MVP consideration.
"I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but I mean this dude's hitting over .300 with 27 (homers), (72) RBIs and (.956) OPS. This guy's playing his (butt) off."
Winning the award outright would be awfully difficult for Springer to finesse at this point, considering Yankees star Aaron Judge's OPS is 150 points higher, and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has nearly double the amount of home runs while playing the most physically demanding position.
However, the fact that Springer has rejuvenated his career a year after batting .220 and sparking offseason debates about the Blue Jays potentially salary-dumping him is a remarkable feat. And with Toronto postseason-bound, it won't be long until we see him back in October, when he's been at his best throughout his career.
More MLB: Red Sox Should Make This Bold Roster Move If Roman Anthony Hits IL
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines