John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Springer Slams As Blue Jays Earn 7th Straight Win
It'd been a while since the last George Springer clutch bomb.
So, with the bases juiced with bluebirds in the sixth inning on Tuesday, Springer promptly ended the drought. Connecting with a full-count sinker in the heart of the plate, he blasted the pitch over the left-center wall. Toronto's leadoff man had his hand raised before touching first base and fired finger guns back to the Blue Jay dugout from the shortstop hole.
In a game of punches and pivotal moments, Springer's slam was the loudest, earning the Blue Jays a seventh consecutive victory with a 10-3 score over the Cardinals.
"He's continuously made big plays in big moments throughout his whole career," manager John Schneider said.
The Blue Jays sprung out of the All-Star Break with three straight wins against the Red Sox, outscoring Boston by 30 runs in the series. Returning home on Tuesday, the Cardinals constantly threatened to break the Blue Jays' momentum but Toronto held them each time, trading blows until Springer broke it open.
Dylan Carlson opened the game with a solo blast, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. immediately responded. The Cardinals found a few more runs against José Berríos in the third, but Toronto kept it tied. With the Cards again threatening to take the lead in the fifth, it was flashy defense's turn to save the day.
With men on first and third in the fifth, Tyler O'Neill scorched a dangerous liner up the middle. The ball was destined for the gap grass until Santiago Espinal lept in the air, stealing the hit and turning to fire to first before even fully returning to the ground. As his toes retouched turf, Espinal fired a strike over to Cavan Biggio to complete the double play. The middle infield acrobatics kept the contest notched at three, setting up for Springer's big blast the following inning.
"Great play by [Espinal] and great play by Cavan to be heads up and be on the base," Schneider said. "So a little bit of a momentum turn there for us, for sure."
With Springer striding into the box with the bases loaded in the sixth, a big hit seemed inevitable. He's made a habit of clutch blasts during his time with the Blue Jays, with Tuesay's slam the latest addition to the list. Springer walked off the Red Sox last summer, hit a ninth-inning, two-out tying blast against Boston this April, single-handily won a game against Seattle earlier this year, and then clinched Tuesday's game with his latest clutch effort.
"It's exciting," Springer said of his slam. "That's a big spot right there, to put us up by some more runs. That's the stuff right there, that you enjoy playing the game. It's a huge moment."
Tuesday's contest was defined by ovations and crowd roars. Long-time Blue Jays commentator Buck Martinez saluted the cheering crowd and players, in celebration of his first game back in the booth following cancer treatment, and a few innings earlier Cardinals veteran Albert Pujols received his own ovation in honor of his final season.
But it was Springer's slam that rang loudest, even earning an encore a few innings later. Drifting back on a deep fly ball in the ninth, Springer crashed into the wall with the bases loaded for the final out, collecting the final home crowd cheer of the evening. He'd be the only one hitting a clutch grand slam on Tuesday.
