First pitch of the game, first swing and… home run. George Springer didn’t take long to light the offensive fuse for the Blue Jays in the Championship Series against the Mariners, although his team eventually lost 3-1 in the first game for the American League pennant.
Springer attacked right away the pitcher Bryce Miller to lift the stands of the Rogers Centre, in Toronto, where his shot went off at 109 miles and was lost to 385 feet from the plate. The Canadian franchise’s outfielder made a clean and powerful swing that boded ill for Seattle, but then their pitchers corrected the course and took the victory.
According to MLB data, the Blue Jays are the first team since 2018 to start a postseason game with a home run and then not score again. The last team to suffer this fate was the Dodgers in the fifth game of the World Series, which they eventually lost to the Red Sox.
Springer’s hit had a remarkable historical value. In fact, no leadoff hitter had ever hit a home run to start a postseason game at Rogers Centre, and no Blue Jays leadoff hitter had ever hit a home run to start a playoff game.
Springer is already more than Derek Jeter
George Springer has been one of the most recurring faces in Major League Baseball’s postseason in recent years. During his time with the Astros, he always stood out, to the point that his numbers are among the most relevant in the record books. To give you an idea, with his home run on Sunday, he surpassed the legendary Derek Jeter on the list of all-time home run leaders.
Springer and the Yankees’ outstanding shortstop were tied with 20 hits beyond the limits, but the tie was broken. Now the Canadian organization’s outfielder ranks among the five players with the most home runs in playoff history, only surpassed by Manny Ramirez (29), Jose Altuve (27), Kyle Schwarber (23) and Bernie Williams (22).
Williams, another Yankees legend, was a key figure in the Bronx Bombers’ championships at the end of the last century and is remembered as one of the most opportunistic hitters in the postseason, driving in more runs (80) than anyone else.
Returning to Springer, it is worth remembering that he is the third player – along with Schwarber and Altuve – to have hit 20+ home runs in the playoffs with less than 70 games played. The outfielder needed 69 games to reach that figure, while Schwarber did it in 63 games and Altuve in 68.
Springer and the history of leadoff HRs
With his hit on Sunday, George Springer reached 65 home runs to open a game, adding the regular season and playoffs. His other leadoff HR in the playoffs came during Game 5 of the 2020 Championship Series between Houston and Tampa.
“Georgie has a good plan and he’s been doing it for a while. That moment was great. He always knows what he’s going to do before the game starts. From my point of view, it’s an impressive swing to hit an undisputed home run to the other side. Georgie has a lot of home runs leading off the inning,” said manager John Schneider.
Schneider is right, as Springer is the player with the most leadoff HRs since his MLB debut in 2014, ahead of Mookie Betts, Kyle Schwarber, Charlie Blackmon and Jose Altuve, the others in the top five.
If we analyze only the postseason, Springer is one of the ten players who has achieved more than one leadoff HR in history. The rest of the list is made up of Schwarber, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, David Freese, Angel Pagan, Shohei Ohtani, Brady Anderson, Michael Busch and Johnny Damon.
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