Springer season arrives with his 1st multihomer day of '23

TORONTO -- The return of football and pumpkin spice lattes are warnings. George Springer season nears.

These are the days the Blue Jays signed Springer to dominate. From the moment he signed that six-year, $150 million deal, the Blue Jays have dreamed of Springer carrying them to the postseason and writing his own franchise-altering moments. It’s Springer’s thing.

Springer launched his 18th and 19th home runs of the season in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Royals, dragging his team over the hump like Bo Bichette had done the night prior. It’s the first time he’s driven in four runs or recorded a multihomer game in 2023. Springer has had better seasons -- at least a half-dozen of them -- but he’s here to run the anchor leg and it’s about time for him to grab the baton.

“What’s there not to like?” Springer said, reflecting on the Blue Jays’ Wild Card race. “This is what you play for. This is such a fun time to play. I know that sounds old, but it is. This is why you play the game, for moments like this to be in a playoff race and be in the hunt. This is a good time of the year. It’s so fun to play in these games.”

• Games remaining: vs. KC (1), vs. TEX (4), vs. BOS (3), at NYY (3), at TB (3), vs. NYY (3), vs. TB (3)
• Standings update: Toronto holds a two-game lead over Texas, which plays Oakland on Saturday night, for the final AL Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays are now tied with Seattle for the second spot.
• Tiebreakers: Down 2-1 in season series vs. Texas; Win vs. Houston; Lose vs. Seattle

September has always been one of Springer’s best months in the big leagues, stretching back through his glory days with the Astros. That’s always rolled into the postseason, too, where Springer has earned a reputation as one of baseball’s best on the biggest stage. In 65 career postseason games, Springer has hit .270 with 19 home runs and an .889 OPS.

The later it gets, the better he gets. Springer owns a 1.295 OPS in 14 career World Series games, too. If there were another round in November, he might bat 1.000 in it.

“He’s just really good,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “This last month has been him. He’s about as good as they get at this time of year and into the postseason. This is typical George.”

Schneider has long said that when Springer goes, the Blue Jays go. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. might have a higher ceiling and Bichette might just be the face of this organization now, but there’s something about Springer that just makes this team work. It’s why the Blue Jays didn’t feel or look like themselves when Springer was dropped from the leadoff spot for a month amid some struggles.

Since he’s been back, Springer looks like the player the Blue Jays signed. Making sense of his late-season surges isn’t an exact science. There’s some magic involved, but the closest explanation might run parallel to Schneider’s definition of “clutch," which he describes as the ability to do the exact same thing when the stakes are higher.

“He’s been in those situations before on the biggest stage the game has to offer,” Schneider said, “and he’s 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.”

Imperfect as some of these recent games have been, Saturday was a blueprint for the type of game the Blue Jays need to play. Kevin Gausman was absolutely dominant, striking out 10 Royals over eight innings of one-run ball, and finally got some of the run support he’s lacked all season.

“When he’s hot, he can take over the game,” Gausman said of Springer. “He single-handedly beat them today. When he’s feeling good at the plate, there’s nobody better.”

This has been a long season of “if” and “when” for the Blue Jays. It’s been difficult to trust the successes this club has at times, given how inconsistent the Blue Jays have been, but it’s always been a matter of lining up a few hot streaks at once. With the return of Bichette and another strong game from Guerrero on Saturday, plus the ridiculous run that Davis Schneider has been on, some of the stars are aligning. They’re attempting to, at least.

If they ever do, Springer needs to shine the brightest. He’s done it before, over and over again.