TORONTO — With time running out on the Toronto Blue Jays’ season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went into the tunnel behind the third base dugout, got on his knees and prayed.
It was Game 7 of the ALCS and the Seattle Mariners were leading 3-1. With nine more outs, they’d secure their first-ever World Series appearance and eliminate the Blue Jays — but Guerrero Jr. wasn’t ready for this season to end.
As he asked for help from above, his teammates started to rally. Addison Barger walked, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled and Andres Gimenez laid down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners on for George Springer.
Mindful of the situational baseball that’s gotten the Blue Jays this far, Springer stepped in with the intent of hitting a sacrifice fly and cutting Seattle’s lead in half. But he got a good swing off on an Eduard Bazardo sinker and as the ball sailed toward the left-centre field wall, he realized it had a chance to go.
“I’m pretty sure I blacked out,” Springer recalled.
Guerrero Jr.'s prayers had been answered. The Blue Jays now led 4-3.
"Very emotional," Guerrero Jr. recalled.
“I was fist pumping,” said Myles Straw. “I had goosebumps. I’ve never seen a stadium like that. It’s unbelievable. I’ve got the goosebumps thinking about it again. Joe Carter had the crazy World Series home run, but other than that it’s gotta be up there as one of the best ever.”
Of that, there’s no debate. Carter’s 1993 walk-off remains the standard and Jose Bautista’s 2015 bat flip home run is iconic in its own right, but Springer’s three-run shot now belongs in the discussion of epic Blue Jays playoff moments, too. And much like other transformative swings in Blue Jays history, this home run lifted up others in the organization — as well as millions of fans.
“Kind of surreal in the moment when you're witnessing the historic swing for the organization,” said manager John Schneider.
Afterwards, in the hallway alongside the Blue Jays' clubhouse, Springer stood to the side, a few feet away from the chaotic centre of the party he’d just started. Nearby, his teammates were dousing one another with beer and champagne as music pumped at full volume. The celebration was underway and Springer was now taking some questions.
Shirtless with a beer in the pocket of his athletic shorts, Springer stood to the side of the celebration and did his best to recall the swing that assured the Blue Jays of a World Series berth against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday at Rogers Centre. (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+).
“I love this team so much,” Springer said. “I just tried to get the guy in from third like we’ve preached all year — and here we are.”
“I’ve probably played with George longer than anyone here,” added Straw, his former Astros teammate. “And I’ve seen him do this every post-season. If there’s someone with a clutch gene, it’s George.”
There to witness the moment was Bautista, who was elated to see Springer give the Blue Jays the lead with the biggest swing in Toronto since his bat flip. Bautista declined to comment immediately, insisting that Springer have his moment, but the longtime Blue Jays slugger was clearly overjoyed by the swing and a friend of Bautista’s said he even predicted it.
From Springer’s perspective, the fan reaction was beyond anything he’d ever experienced in Toronto and rose immediately to the top of his list of favourite Blue Jays moments.
“Watching the Bautista moment over and over again, it felt like it was that loud,” he said. “I wasn’t there for that one, but this was incredible.”
Once Springer homered, the energy in the stadium changed immediately with tension giving way to intense excitement. At field level, players felt their nerves kick up a notch.
“I wasn’t (nervous) until that George homer, and then, yeah, I was shaking pretty damn good,” said Chris Bassitt, who pitched the eighth inning to set up closer Jeff Hoffman.
Like the Bautista homer, Springer's shot also has the power to shift narratives around the Blue Jays. A loss might have flipped the focus onto Schneider, whose decision to use Brendon Little in Game 5 backfired.
Instead, Schneider becomes the second manager in Blue Jays franchise history to manage in the World Series, joining Cito Gaston.
"Pretty cool," Schneider said. "Pretty humbled."
There's also GM Ross Atkins, who has drawn lots of criticism over the years, most recently following a frustrating 88-loss season in 2024. But to the credit of this front office, they've averaged 88 wins per season over the last half decade. Now, thanks in part to Springer's swing, they're going to the World Series.
“I call him Ross the boss for a reason,” Straw said. “I’m so glad he got my butt here. I think Ross is the man. He built this team, him and Mark (Shapiro). What else do you want from your team at this particular moment? If you’re hating on him, you’ve got to go cheer for another sport because you’ve got the Blue Jays in the World Series and what else can you possibly do? You can’t do better than where we’re at in this moment.”
Of course there's also Springer, whose Blue Jays legacy also looked far different a year ago. Now five years into his six-year, $150 million contract, his mark on this franchise is significant and will be lasting; one swing against Bazardo made sure of that.
Yet it's still fitting for these 2025 Blue Jays that the franchise's biggest home run in years was supposed to be a sac fly. Springer certainly cemented a personal legacy in Game 7, but in doing so he also helped those around him, from teammates to coaches and front office staff.
“This is what we envisioned,” Springer said. “I love it. I’m so proud of this team. I’m so proud of everyone. It’s just such an incredible moment.”
