George Springer's Heroics Lifts Blue Jays to First World Series Since 1993
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The American League Championship Series came down to this-a game seven with a trip to the World Series on the line. In the end, it came down to one of the few Toronto Blue Jays with World Series experience — George Springer.
The Blue Jays were down nearly the entire game to the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS, but Springer's home run in the seventh inning lifted Toronto to a 4-3 win and their first World Series berth since 1993.
Essential Moments in Do-or-Die Matchup
It was the Mariners who struck first at Rogers Centre as the lead off man, Julio Rodríguez, hit a double into left field. Josh Naylor brought him home swiftly two guys later with a single of his own. The Mariners, who had been held to two runs in two of the last three games, were already on the board.
The Blue Jays slipped out of the inning with a strikeout from starter Shane Bieber and an inning-ending double play. The strikeout victim was Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh, who struck out three times in Game 6 on Sunday.
Seattle wasn't the only one to get on the board in the first inning. Springer drew a walk, followed by a pair of singles by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho, which brought Springer in to tie the game.
Rodríguez struck again in his next at-bat with a 420 foot bomb off of Shane Bieber to take the lead back for Seattle in the third inning. Bieber's time ended the following inning after allowing a pair of runners to reach base with a double and a walk.
Even though Toronto reliever Louis Varland was able to get out of that jam, he didn't start off well in the fifth. Raleigh, who hadn't had a hit since Game 5, hit a homer of his own to give the Mariners a two-run lead. At this point it felt like their lead should have been more than that as the Jays bats had grown stagnant.
It's rare to see a starting pitcher come out of the bullpen, but a trip to the World Series was on the line which meant Toronto's Kevin Gausman came on for the seventh inning. He walked a pair of Mariners but he helped Toronto get out of the jam.
George Springer just hit one of the biggest home runs in #BlueJays history.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) October 21, 2025
Rogers Centre is shaking. pic.twitter.com/3RitrE86AU
Then, the Blue Jays caught fire. After not scoring since the first inning, Springer's three-run home run gave Toronto the lead, and put them six outs away from the pennant. Closer Jeff Hoffman finished off Rodriguez for the final out.
The Blue Jays will now face off with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series which will start on Friday in Toronto.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.