#george-springer

#george-springer

It was reported that Bo Bichette will be in the lineup no matter what, with his position depending on whether Springer starts. If Springer doesn't start, Bichette will play as the team's designated hitter, meaning that he'll likely stay in the game without being pulled. With Bichette filling in as the designated hitter, it means that the Jays will likely have to turn to Isiah Kiner-Falefa to play second base, which isn't ideal.

"I mean, at the end of the day, I have a job to do and have a game to focus on," Springer said. "So that's kind of the plan."

It was a great rebound season for Bichette after a disastrous 2024. In 628 plate appearances, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs for a 134 wRC+, the best mark of his career. His 181 hits finished second in the league, with only Bobby Witt Jr.'s 184 hits surpassing his total. It's worth noting that Bichette missed the final three weeks of the season. Witt Jr. is also nominated for the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop, as is Jeremy Peña of the Houston Astros.

I was fortunate to get my hands on a Game 7 ticket when they first went on sale. Admittedly, my faith wavered at points during the series, especially when the Toronto Blue Jays were down 2-0 and the debacle that was the eighth inning in Game 5. Thankfully, I held on to the ticket, and I can say that it was the best experience of my life. Here's what it felt like at the ball park.

"Feeling better today. CT scan he got last night, negative," said Schneider at a news conference during optional workouts at Rogers Centre on Saturday. "Just a contusion, as we say. "But he's getting treatment, he's going to be doing some stuff here in a little bit, probably moving around. But feeling a lot better than he did yesterday." Schneider said Springer got treatment on Saturday and was expected to test his knee in a team workout.

Springer, Toronto's leadoff hitter, was struck on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Bryan Woo in the seventh inning of Friday's 6-2 loss and left the game. Seattle leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. The 36-year-old Springer, a four-time All-Star, is hitting .256 with three home runs and five doubles this postseason. His 22 career playoff homers are tied with Bernie Williams for fourth most. Schneider said Springer got treatment on Saturday and was expected to test his knee in a team workout.

It all began in Kansas City a week ago when Nathan Lukes was robbed by the replay review room in New York, in two straight innings. The 20-minute sequence was as bizarre as it gets, and it marked the first recent incident that has left Jays fans scratching their heads. In the third, Brandon Lowe launched a three-run homer, which Lukes had timed up with a big leap at the wall. When he was on his way down, center fielder Myles Straw was waving to the Blue Jays' dugout, signalling a challenge. A fan had reached to make the catch too, but it looked like it most definitely got in the way of Lukes, who was also trying to get his glove on the ball.

That breaks the record once held by White, who starred as the Blue Jays centerfielder during Toronto's glory days when the team won back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and '93. Springer is now just 19 home runs shy of the all-time MLB record of 81 lead off home runs, which is held by the late-great Rickey Henderson, who, ironically, usurped White as the teams leadoff hitter in the second half of '93 when Henderson was traded to the Blue Jays.