Springer’s seventh-inning nuke flips ALCS; Vlad Jr. named MVP as Canada’s team books date with Dodgers

TORONTO – SPORTS – On to the World Series! The Toronto Blue Jays climbed out of a hole. After losing the first two games of the American League Championship season, many figured they were in deep trouble.

The team and their die hard fans stuck to their game plan and headed to Seattle and evened the series up.

In what was a series to remember, the Jays were backed into a corner after losing Game 5 and having the explosive bats go silent and the pitching go south. Headed back to Toronto, it was that combination of perhaps destiny and the electricity of the Skydome fans.

Game 7. One swing. Bedlam in the Dome.

SEVENTH INNING, SEASON ON THE LINE — George Springer turned on a heater and launched a three-run missile over the left-field wall, flipping a 3–1 deficit into a 4–3 Blue Jays lead and detonating Rogers Centre. From nervous buzz to pure eruption in a heartbeat — that’s the swing that sent Toronto back to the World Series for the first time since 1993.

“We did this for y’all… four more,” said ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr., fighting tears on the broadcast moments after the final out.

How it unfolded: a rope-a-dope classic

• Early blows: Seattle landed first — Julio Rodríguez doubled, Josh Naylor plated him 1–0, then J-Rod added a solo shot in the third for 2–1.

• Weird play alert: A potential M’s rally died when a grounder struck the baserunner during a double-play turn; after review, inning over, crowd roaring.

• Holding pattern: Toronto scratched one on a Daulton Varsho RBI to tie it 1–1, but Cal Raleigh answered with a solo homer for 3–1 Seattle. For five innings, the Jays’ bats simmered without boiling.

Then came Springer Time: two on, two out in the seventh, knee still barking from a HBP two days ago — bang. 3-run go-ahead and a joy lap for the ages.

Pitching parade: everyone up, everyone in

Shane Bieber took the ball built for nights like this (3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K). With no tomorrow, John Schneider emptied the chamber:

• Louis Varland stranded two to close the fourth.

• Seranthony Domínguez and Kevin Gausman stacked zeroes to steady the ship.

• Chris Bassitt punched a fiery shutout frame.

• Jeff Hoffman slammed the door — strikeout, strikeout, strikeout — freezing Rodríguez to end it and cue the champagne.

Party lane at the Dome

Tarp off, goggles on, smoke machines humming — the Jays turned the clubhouse hallway into a dance floor. Springer, grinning: “I love this team so much. Everybody believes in each other… we stay in the moment.”

That belief now carries them to baseball’s biggest stage.

What’s next: Dodgers. Friday. Game 1 in Toronto.

American League Champions vs. the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 1 is Friday at Rogers Centre. Rotation plans and roster tweaks to come, but the mission is simple: four more wins.

Scoring summary (quick hits)

• SEA: Naylor RBI single (1st), Rodríguez HR (3rd), Raleigh HR (6th)

• TOR: Varsho RBI single (1st), Springer 3-run HR (7th)

The drought is over. The Jays are back in the Fall Classic, and the country just found its October heartbeat.

Let’s Play Ball!