TORONTO -- Canada’s newest anti-aging guru is taking over the American League East.
George Springer has no magic serums to sell you. He’s not here to preach the wonders of cold plunges, red-light therapy or a new miracle fruit packed with antioxidants. This isn’t about Botox, it’s about baseball, and Springer has discovered its Fountain of Youth.
Springer’s 16th home run of the season set the stage for the 4-3 win over the Angels at Rogers Centre and he nearly walked it off, too, but Addison Barger was Saturday’s hero, his 11th-inning single giving the Blue Jays their seventh straight win as they extend their lead atop the division. Every corner of this roster and coaching staff deserves its share of credit, but with five homers in his past five games and 21 RBIs in his past 11, Springer is playing the best baseball of his career at the unlikeliest time.
“He’s on a heater right now,” said manager John Schneider. “That home run, you look up and it’s a 97 mph sinker and he hits it 109 mph to dead center? You look at what that result might have been last year, and it might have been different.
“He’s been so good. He’s been so big for us the past couple of weeks. He’s still showing the league that he can do this. I think he should be an American League All-Star, no doubt.”
Since 1901, only four players in their age-35 season or later have put up 15-plus home runs and 10-plus stolen bases before the All-Star break.
George Springer: 16 HR, 10 SB in 2025
Alfonso Soriano: 16 HR, 10 SB in 2013
Gary Sheffield: 21 HR, 12 SB in 2007
Reggie Sanders: 18 HR, 14 SB in 2005
This is rare company. Looking forward, Soriano was the last player to finish the season with 25-plus home runs and 15-plus steals, which Springer is on pace to do. Only eight players 35 or older have done this all-time and none have had an OPS+ as high as the 145 Springer entered Saturday with.
Springer is always quick to deflect, more eager to put the praise on a teammate than himself, but he can’t dodge this. He’s been at the heart of the Blue Jays’ baserunning resurgence -- preaching effort, effort, effort -- while also taking a clearer and obvious leadership role. He just seems so energized.
“My body feels good and my mind feels good,” Springer said. “I’m just trying to do anything that I can to help us win. It’s a thing that Schneider says every day and [associate manager] DeMarlo [Hale] says it every day, 'Just do something to help us win.' When you embrace that, you don’t try to do too much. There are still times you’ll do that, because you’re human, but it’s about doing what you can to help us win.”
It’s been a perfect match with this roster and with a manager who has refused, over and over again, to speak a negative word about his veteran star. Even when it hasn’t been fashionable to do so, Schneider has been right behind Springer, both feet firmly planted.
“He can put you on his back and carry you,” Schneider said. “What George has done, I know we talked in Spring Training and everyone had their doubts. I’m never going to count George Springer out of anything.”
There’s some magic to this team, and lately, it’s finding new ways to burst out each night. Saturday’s unexpected star was rookie Lazaro Estrada, who was up to provide a just-in-case arm out of the bullpen, but ended up pitching four innings of one-run ball on the back end. He looked so comfortable out there, even striking out the great Mike Trout, and gave the Blue Jays yet another option few expected to have.
These are the things that separate postseason teams from everyone else. Unless you’re the Dodgers, overflowing with star power, every team in baseball has its own version of Vladdy, its own version of Bichette, its own version of Gausman and Berríos. It’s the pleasant surprises that make all the difference, and Saturday, that’s exactly what they did.
“It’s amazing to watch,” said Max Scherzer. “It’s amazing to be in the dugout. We believe in everybody on this roster and everybody on this roster is getting a chance to shine. You can talk about Barger with the throw and getting the game-winning hit, then what Springer’s doing, my gosh he’s on fire.”
Age be damned, that fire is burning again.