After missing the team’s past two wins due to side discomfort, George Springer is back in the leadoff spot for the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series.
Many feared the worst when Springer left in the middle of Monday’s endless 18-inning saga, as it looked like the former All-Star might have suffered a serious oblique injury. However, Springer was apparently available to pitch-hit and pinch-run in Game 5, with manager John Schneider even suggesting he almost started the 36-year-old.
Springer was amazing for Toronto all year long, slashing .309/.399/.560 with a 166 wRC+ during the regular season. In the playoffs, Springer has only hit .246, yet he’s come up large in massive moments, with no example shining brighter than his go-ahead home run late in Game 7 of the ALCS.
Of course, Springer’s return has a domino effect on another semi-injured superstar. Bo Bichette had been able to DH in Game 4 and Game 5 with his teammate sitting on the bench, yet the veteran infielder will now move back to second base — a place he had not played at the MLB level before starting there in Game 1.
The Jays will need all hands on deck if they hope to end this series on Friday, as the Dodgers will send Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound. Yamamoto tossed a complete game four-hitter in Game 2, his second straight nine inning effort in the postseason. One of those four hits was a leadoff double from Springer. Bichette did not start that contest.
