The Toronto Blue Jays have a second chance to win the championship after the Los Angeles Dodgers forced a winner-take-all World Series finale. Max Scherzer took the mound for Toronto on Saturday and the 41-year-old pitcher became the oldest Game 7 starter in World Series history.
But Scherzer isn’t the only Blue Jays player who set a record Saturday. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the first inning of Game 7, George Springer led off with a single to left. It was the 12th-year veteran’s fourth career leadoff hit in a winner-take-all game, the most in postseason history, per MLB’s Sarah Langs.
Springer’s first-inning base knock broke a tie with Mookie Betts, who has three leadoff hits in all-or-nothing postseason games. Betts is batting fourth for the Dodgers Saturday.
George Springer delivers in the clutch for Blue Jays
The fact that the four-time All-Star is playing in the World Series finale is impressive in its own right. Springer left Game 3 with an injury, straining his right oblique after fouling off a ball in the seventh inning of Monday’s matchup. The Dodgers would go on to win Game 3 6-5 in 18 innings.
Despite the painful strain, Springer made a gusty return to the lineup in Game 6. The 2017 World Series MVP went 2-4 and drove in Toronto’s only run in Friday's 3-1 loss.
Springer has been clutch for the Blue Jays in the postseason. He hit a massive, three-run go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the ALCS, helping Toronto beat the Seattle Mariners. And entering the 2025 World Series finale, he’s slashing .338/.440/.746 in 18 career Fall Classic games.
It seems that setting the record for leadoff hits in winner-take-all matchups inspired the 36-year-old veteran. Springer already has three hits in the first four innings of Game 7.
