Blue Jays' George Springer Passed Cardinals Star As Most Valuable Playoff Hitter

St. Louis Cardinals were all too familiar with the kind of heroics on display in Toronto on Monday night.

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer lifted his team to the World Series with a three-run, go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, The blast sent the Seattle Mariners home for the winter and brought Toronto its first pennant since 1993.

Springer is establishing himself as an all-time postseason clutch hitter, having provided numerous massive moments earlier in his career for the Houston Astros. In fact, he recently took a statistical title away from a prominent figure in Cardinals postseason lore.

Springer bests Freese for cWPA record

Oct 27, 2011; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese (23) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a walk off home run in the 11th inning in game six of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10-9. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

According to MLB.com's Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Springer's home run moved him ahead of former Cardinals third baseman and 2011 World Series Most Valuable Player David Freese for the all-time lead in championship win probability added during postseason play.

"With his pennant-winning three-run homer in Game 7 of the 2025 ALCS, Springer raised his career championship win probability added (cWPA) to 90.8, surpassing David Freese (87.2 cWPA) for the highest in postseason history," wrote Sepe-Chepuru.

However, in terms of heroics in a single postseason, Sepe-Chepuru asserted that Freese is still head and shoulders above the pack.

"Springer ranks 22nd all time in postseason games played (78, tied with Corey Seager) and 16th in plate appearances (362, between David Ortiz and Albert Pujols). Freese, by comparison, retired with 230 postseason plate appearances," Sepe-Chepuru wrote. "All of this to say, Cardinals fans, that Freese's 2011 postseason heroics -- and the 84.5 cWPA they produced -- remain in a league of their own."

Taking things even a step further, Freese gave the Cardinals 51.84 cWPA in just one game, his legendary Game 6 performance in the 2011 Fall Classic against the Texas Rangers that included a game-tying triple when St. Louis was an out away from elimination and a walk-off home run.

Springer's career on the whole has been a lot more impressive than Freese's. But the reason Cardinals fans will forever love Freese, the Missouri native, is that he went on a tear for 18 games in 2011 that may never again be topped.

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