TORONTO — There aren’t many Blue Jays players more familiar with meaningful September baseball than George Springer. The right fielder has played on six postseason-bound teams in his previous nine MLB seasons.
Over that time, Springer has built a reputation for coming up clutch when it matters most. He seems to thrive in September and October. What is it about playing at this time of year that he likes so much?
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“What’s there not to like?” Springer said. “This is what you play for. This is just a fun time to play.”
Indeed, Springer showed why he’s a catalyst for the club, especially at this point in the season as the Blue Jays are in the thick of the American League wild-card race, hitting two home runs and driving in four of the team’s five runs in the Blue Jays’ 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
“He’s about as good as they get this time of year and into the postseason. So kind of typical George,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Just being in those situations before and on the biggest stage the game has to offer, and slowing things down a little bit. It’s been like that his whole career, going back to Houston. He just has another gear that not many people have.”
The win moves the Blue Jays into a tie with the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will remain at least 1 1/2 games up on the Texas Rangers, who play the Oakland A’s on Saturday evening. Toronto’s win over the Royals clinches their fourth series victory in a row and they have now won seven of their past nine games while scoring at least five runs in eight of them.
Asked what he has liked about the Blue Jays play of late, Springer said: “Everything.”
“We’re doing what we need to do, obviously every game is important,” he said. “You just want to win. It doesn’t really matter how you do it, you just want to do it.”
Overall this season, Springer’s offensive numbers are down compared to his career norms, as he hasn’t been as consistent month-to-month, with a low point coming in an ugly July. But over his past 30 games, the right fielder has gone 37-for-115 (.322) with a .951 OPS. He has eight doubles, six home runs and 21 RBIs in that span.
On Saturday, Springer first got the Blue Jays on the board with a solo home run to left field off Royals bulk pitcher Zack Greinke in the fourth inning.
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Springer followed that with a two-run single in the fifth off the Royals’ veteran right-hander that put Toronto up 3-1. Springer came into the game with a .500/.556/.688 slash line against Greinke in 16 career at-bats. Asked why he thinks he’s had so much success against the six-time All-Star, Springer chuckled and said, “ I don’t know.”
“I know Zack well. I love Zack to death,” Springer said. “He’s a Hall of Famer, and he’s had an unbelievable career. He’s so smart the way he can navigate a lineup, whether he’s throwing 100 or not is impressive. He’s just a guy who you just have to try to lock in on and you’ll get something to hit.”
Not done yet, Springer hit his second solo home run — this time off Royals reliever Angel Zerpa — in the seventh inning that gave Toronto a four-run cushion.
“George, when he’s hot, he can just take over the game and he kind of single-handedly beat them today,” said Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. “And so when he’s feeling good at the plate, there’s nobody better. He’s had his struggles this year, but it’s good to kind of see him get going and he’s a huge spark for us and always has been, so we definitely rely on him a lot.”
Having been in this sort of playoff chase before, Springer said he draws on past experiences to play his best at the critical portion of the calendar. Looking at his career splits, the best months of Springer’s career have been May (.921 OPS) followed by September/October (.867 OPS).
“Every year can be different. There are new challenges every day. Obviously, every team is completely different,” he said. “Just understanding that you really have to enjoy the moment, slow down, not try to do too much, stay within yourself and enjoy it.”
Meanwhile, on the mound, Gausman was sporting a new shorter haircut, but everything else looked the same old for the right-hander who was clinical against the Royals. Gausman, who pitched for the first time since chopping off his signature shoulder-length hair this week, gave up just one run on two hits over eight innings with 10 strikeouts and a walk. The only blemish on Gausman’s line was a solo home run to Royals designated hitter Edward Olivares in the fifth inning.
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Asked about why he cut his hair, Gausman said he was just tired of the look.
Kevin Gausman sported a new look for Saturday’s start. (Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)“It was so hot,” he said. “My neck was just sweating too much. And the cold neck today was pretty nice. It felt good.”
Gausman’s deep outing means the Blue Jays only had to use Jordan Hicks to close out the ninth and the bullpen is well-rested. That sets them up well not only for a chance to sweep the Royals on Sunday but also as they look ahead to what will be a monumental four-game series against the Rangers beginning on Monday.
“Just another reason why I think Kevin is one of the best pitchers in the game,” Schneider said. “He has outings like that and he saves the bullpen.”
Meanwhile, Bo Bichette is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday. The Blue Jays shortstop sat out on Saturday, a day after he returned from his right quad strain and went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Bichette felt great after the game, his manager said, but an off day was part of the plan following his recent bout of injuries to his right leg. Following his return from right patellar tendonitis on Aug. 19, Bichette was back on the 10-day injured list nine days later with the quad strain, two injuries the shortstop said were “most likely” connected. This time around, the team wants to ease him back to avoid any chance of another injury flare-up.
“We’re trying to treat the first couple days as a little bit of a buildup,” Schneider said.
Still, with the team getting closer to full strength, and Springer looking like his vintage self, the Blue Jays may well be finally clicking at the perfect time.
“This is just a fun time to play,” Springer said. “We’re obviously right in the middle of it. You have to enjoy the moment, you have to slow down and just breathe and have fun and it’s fun to be here. It’s a good spot to be in, but obviously, the job’s not done.”
(Top photo of George Springer hitting a home run in the seventh inning: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)
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