TORONTO – Comeback wins were an enormous reason why the Toronto Blue Jays reached the American League Championship Series.
George Springer topped all of them with a come-from-behind moment that may go down as considered one of the largest homers in franchise history.
Springer hit a go-ahead three-run shot within the seventh inning and closer Jeff Hoffman struck out the side within the ninth to lift the Blue Jays to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
The victory gave Toronto its first AL pennant since 1993 and a berth within the World Series starting Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I knew I had got the guy in from third, which was all I used to be attempting to do,” Springer said in a champagne-soaked locker-room. “After which it went out of the park. I’ll take it.”
With Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Addison Barger in scoring position, Springer’s 384-foot shot got here off reliever Eduard Bazardo.
A run-scoring sacrifice fly was a gimme, however the ball kept carrying and just cleared the wall before landing in the primary row of seats. It was Springer’s fourth homer of the post-season and twenty third of his playoff profession.
“He’s the most effective to do it within the post-season,” Hoffman said. “I’m really pleased that he’s on our side.”
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Toronto led the key leagues with 49 comeback wins within the regular season. The Blue Jays needed every considered one of them, because the head-to-head tiebreaker gave Toronto the East Division crown over Latest York when each teams finished with 94 victories.
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That gave the Blue Jays a bye past the wild-card round. Toronto then eliminated the Yankees within the ALDS to achieve the championship series for the primary time since 2016.
After dropping the primary two games at home to Seattle, the Blue Jays reeled off 4 wins in five games to eliminate the Mariners and book their World Series ticket.
“We’re all in it together and it’s what it’s all about,” said Blue Jays pitcher Eric Lauer, as teammates poured beer over his head. “Ahhh, it’s so nice.”
The party was on within the locker-room as players whooped it up for the fourth time this yr. A clinched playoff spot, an East title, and an ALDS win preceded the newest celebration.
“We’re all out of beer,” Toronto pitcher Max Scherzer said, before moving on to a different cooler. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
There have been loads of suds and champagne bottles nearby as players, coaches and support staff set free, knowing they were just 4 wins away from a World Series crown.
Blue Jays right-hander Shane Bieber and Mariners right-hander George Kirby began the Game 7 matchup but neither hurler made it to the fifth.
Each teams scored a run within the opening frame. Julio Rodriguez hit a solo shot within the third and Cal Raleigh made it 3-1 with a solo homer within the fifth.
The Blue Jays were hitting occasional singles but couldn’t get an extra-base hit.
The sellout crowd of 44,770 got here to life within the seventh when Barger drew a leadoff walk and Kiner-Falefa singled. Andres Gimenez advanced them with a sacrifice bunt and waved his arms to get the fans even louder as he trotted back to the dugout.
That set the stage for Springer, who appeared limited on the plate the last two games after taking a pitch off the knee in Game 5.
He turned on a 1-0 sinker for a blast that’ll go down as an all-timer on a franchise list that features Joe Carter’s World Series walkoff in 1993, Jose Bautista’s bat flip in 2015, Roberto Alomar’s shot in Oakland in 1992 and Edwin Encarnacion’s wild-card walkoff in 2016.
A large-eyed Springer watched it for a number of seconds, unsure of whether it had the gap. The remainder of his run across the bases was a blur.
“I blacked out,” he said with a chuckle.
Next up for Canada’s lone big-league team is a showdown with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers.
“We all know they’re a fantastic team and I do know we’re a fantastic team — built in a different way,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “But man, I can’t wait to go toe to toe with them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press