One of MLB's all-time great leadoff hitters returned to his customary spot on Sunday. For possibly the final time.
George Springer batted first for the Toronto Blue Jays in their season finale against the Cincinnati Reds, in what was the 37-year-old's final game under his current contract. Springer has not said if he will retire this winter but fans made sure to thank him for his six years of excellence with multiple loud ovations.
Springer appeared emotional when he stepped to home plate for his first at-bat in the bottom of the first, and he took time to salute the crowd with his helmet before stepping into the batter's box.
The emotions returned when he reached base with a single in the third inning. Manager John Schneider took that as a chance to lift Springer from the game for pinch runner Sean Keys, and the crowd gave Springer another standing ovation as he slowly made his way off the field.
Springer is in the final season of a six-year, $150-million contract with the Blue Jays, and his future after this year is uncertain.
“It’s emotional to think about it,” Springer said of the possibility that Sunday is his last game as a Blue Jay on Wednesday.
“Very, very grateful to our fans, this team, this organization. Obviously this is not the way that we all wanted it to end. But if it is, I'm going to do my best to embrace being back home for one last time and making sure that I do anything I can to reciprocate to the fans.”
Speaking to reporters before Sunday's game, an emotional Springer said he would likely be "happy-sad" when he leaves the field and is grateful for the support he received from Blue Jays fans over the years.
Springer added that when he returned to Toronto after the World Series, people kept thanking him.
"I should be saying thank you to them," he said.
Springer's numbers have declined this season — he entered play with 15 home runs and a .722 OPS — but all-around, his Blue Jays tenure has been a success.
Over the six years, he has 134 home runs, 392 RBI and a .791 OPS, not to mention four long balls and a .899 OPS during the Blue Jays' run to the World Series last season.
None were bigger than the seventh-inning shot off Eduard Bazardo in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series that sent Toronto to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993.
Springer's future outside of Toronto is also unclear, with Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reporting that some close to him expect that he will retire once all is said and done.
“I don't know," Springer said of what's next for him ahead of Sunday's game. "I'll have that conversation with my wife and kind of go from there.”
Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was not included in Toronto's lineup for Game 162. The star first baseman has missed a career-high 17 games with back, hamstring, and concussion issues, including his first-ever major-league injured list stint.
If the 27-year-old doesn't make an appearance off the bench on Sunday, he will match the total number of games missed in his MLB career over the previous seven seasons.
Guerrero has had a shockingly unproductive season, hitting just nine home runs and 56 RBI with a .688 OPS over 144 games.
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