Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer celebrated into the night after his dramatic home run helped send his team to the World Series.
Springer, 36, hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning of the Blue Jays’ Game 7 win over the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series on Monday, October 20, the deciding factor in Toronto earning its first World Series berth since 1993.
The party was on in The Six, which saw a shirtless Springer pound beers and get doused by his teammates in a rowdy locker room scene.
“I’m so happy for our team, our fans, our city, our country,” Springer told Fox Sports after the game. “I am so happy right now.”
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With teammates Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Addison Barger in scoring position, Springer said he was just focused on cutting into the Mariners 3-1 lead when he stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning.
“I knew I had got the guy in from third, which was all I was trying to do,” Springer said in the locker room. “And then it went out of the park. I’ll take it.”
As for his instantly-iconic run around the bases as Toronto’s Rogers Centre erupted in euphoria, Springer admitted it’s all a blur.
“I blacked out,” he joked.
The Blue Jays’ locker room celebration nearly came to an underwhelming halt, as starting pitcher Max Scherzer made an alarming discovery.
“We’re all out of beer,” Scherzer, 41, said at one point, according to CTV News. “I didn’t know that was possible.”
Luckily, Scherzer found another cooler so the raucous party could continue.
“It takes so much work and perseverance to get to this point, and I love this entire group,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after the game. “It’s so fitting — bottom of our order gets it done again. There’s probably no other person on planet Earth that I want up other than George Springer and his October magic.”
Springer has made a name for himself this time of year, with the Blue Jays star batting .264 with 23 home runs and 47 RBIs in 78 career playoff games.
The ALCS victory was also sweet for Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the son of MLB legend Vladimir Guerrero, who has played all seven of his professional seasons with Toronto.
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“I was born here,” said Guerrero, 26, who was born in Montreal while his dad played for the Montreal Expos. “I grew up in the Dominican, and then from the moment that I signed here, I knew I was going to be here my entire career. I knew I had to somehow make all the fans, the entire country, proud of me, of my team. And like I always say, my challenge is to bring the World Series here back to Canada.”
The Blue Jays advance to face the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
“We know they’re a great team and I know we’re a great team — built differently,” said Toronto manager Schneider. “But man, I can’t wait to go toe to toe with them.”
Game 1 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers is Friday, October 24, in Toronto.
