George Springer left Monday’s World Series game in the seventh inning while clutching his side in pain.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Toronto Blue Jays slugger George Springer was in pain after a big swing and had to leave the game with an apparent side injury in Monday’s World Series Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The injury took place with the game tied at 4-4 in the seventh inning. Springer walked away from the plate and clutched his side after fouling off a Justin Wrobleski pitch. He immediately walked to the Toronto dugout and then into the tunnel.
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Pinch hitter Ty France took his place at the plate with no outs.
The Dodgers ended up escaping Game 3 with a win, thanks to a wild Freddie Freeman walk-off home run in the 18th inning, to take a 2-1 series lead. It matched the longest game in World Series history.
The Blue Jays said after the game that Springer was dealing with “right side discomfort,” though further specifics were not yet known. He will undergo an MRI, though his status for Tuesday’s Game 4 is unclear.
Springer’s absence left a major hole in the Toronto lineup for the rest of Game 3 and has the potential to change the trajectory of the series. A four-time All-Star and former World Series MVP with the Houston Astros, Springer is Toronto’s leadoff hitter and one of the best-performing hitters in postseason history.
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Springer hit a go-ahead home run in Game 7 to clinch Toronto’s ALCS victory over the Seattle Mariners last week. His 23 postseason home runs are tied for the third-most in MLB history.
And fans at Dodger Stadium are quite familiar with his exploits. Springer went 11 for 29 with five home runs in Houston’s victory over the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series en route to MVP honors. He hit four of those home runs at Dodger Stadium.
Those Astros were at the center of the sign-stealing scandal that cast a shadow over that World Series title. And Dodgers fans let Springer hear it with boos every time he stepped to the plate Monday night.
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They might not get another chance to boo him as Springer’s status for the rest of the series appears to be in peril.