George Springer’s epic home run helps send the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Series with ALCS Game 7 win over Seattle

By Kevin Dotson, CNN

(CNN) — The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to their first World Series since 1993 after a dramatic 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

Things were looking bleak for the Blue Jays until designated hitter George Springer delivered a huge three-run home run in the seventh inning as Toronto surged into the lead.

Springer’s late-inning heroics set up a compelling World Series match-up pitting the American League’s best team against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Mariners opened the must-win game with an exciting first inning that featured a little bit of everything. Julio Rodriguez opened the game with a lead-off double down the left field line to set the table for Seattle.

Seattle’s MVP candidate, Cal Raleigh, then struck out swinging at a high fastball, but Josh Naylor picked up his teammate with a single to drive in Rodriguez with the game’s first run.

Controversy followed when Jorge Polanco hit a groundball to Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement, who was shaded toward shortstop. Clement took the ball to second base himself and whipped the ball towards first base for a would-be inning-ending double play.

But Clement’s throw ricocheted wildly off the helmet of baserunner Naylor, allowing Polanco to reach first base safely. Replays showed Naylor turn his back toward the oncoming throw and leap into the air as the ball caromed off the crown of his helmet.

After a huddle in the infield, the six-man umpiring crew determined that Naylor had deliberately obstructed Clement’s throw and called Polanco out at first to end the inning.

The Blue Jays carried that momentum into the bottom of the first inning and tied the game 1-1 on a soft groundball single from Daulton Varsho.

After a scoreless second inning, Rodriguez led off the third inning with a solo home run off Shane Bieber to put the Mariners back in front 2-1. The blast was Rodriguez’s third of the series.

Raleigh, who led MLB with 60 home runs during the regular season, smacked his fifth long ball of the playoffs, his fourth against the Jays, to extend the M’s lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning.

The mood was getting very nervous in Toronto’s Rogers Centre as the game reached the seventh inning stretch with the home team trailing and time running out on the Blue Jays’ season.

But a walk and a softly hit single set the stage for Blue Jays’ lead-off hitter Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP with the Houston Astros.

Facing Eduardo Bazardo, fresh into the game from the bullpen, Springer cranked a three-run homer to catapult the Blue Jays into the lead for the first time in the game at 4-3. The crowd at the Rogers Centre erupted as Springer rounded the bases as the unforgettable moment played out.

Toronto then turned to its bullpen to close the game out,

Chris Bassitt pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth, striking out all three Mariners batters he faced to end the game and send the Canadian crowd into ecstasy.

After the victory, Springer was asked about what he would remember about his dramatic moment. A modest Springer replied, “The at-bats before me. If it’s not for those guys, that moment doesn’t happen.

“I’m so happy for our team, our fans, our city, our country. I am so happy right now,” he told Fox Sports while the joyous crowd cheered.

Springer was forced to leave Game 5 of the series after getting hit in the knee by a pitch and appeared to be in discomfort in Games 6 and 7. When asked about the pain, he doubled down on his love for Toronto. “I owe it to these fans, this city, this country to give it my all. It doesn’t matter. So, I’ll take it,” he said.

Toronto superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was named ALCS MVP after batting .385 and crushing three home runs in the series.

The Blue Jays will host the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

As for the crestfallen Mariners, they remain the only franchise in Major League Baseball yet to appear in a World Series.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.