Canada's Blue Jays Claim Fall Classic Showdown Against the Dodgers
The outfielder was instrumental for the Houston Astros securing the championship in 2017.
Toronto's Blue Jays advanced to their first championship series since the 1993 season by overcoming the Seattle Mariners in the seventh Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.
Behind three runs to one, outfielder George Springer hit a three-run homer in the seventh, propelling the only Canadian franchise in MLB to a 4-3 victory in the series. Awaiting them are the defending champions, the team that is the reigning title, in the forthcoming World Series.
"I'm just so happy for our team, our city, the nation," Springer stated, a star of the Houston Astros team that claimed the 2017 title. "It's truly an amazing experience."
Springer has now hit 23 total playoff homers, placing him third all-time after Ramirez (twenty-nine) and Jose Altuve (27).
"There's probably not another person on planet Earth that I'd choose in that moment except for George Springer with his October magic," remarked Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
The Mariners, after leading the early in the series, remain the one club yet to make an appearance in a championship series.
Manager Dan Wilson commented "there's no question that it hurts" in the wake of his club's elimination at Rogers Centre, but applauded their work throughout the year.
"It's a special team. It's a shame that we had to come out on the losing end of the series," he added.
Toronto claimed the title on each of their earlier trips in 1992 and 1993, and will welcome the Dodgers in the opener on this Friday.