George Springer brings some normal to these weird baseball playoffs
“And two, I mean, it’s the playoffs,” Springer continued before the loss. “This is supposed to be fun. You got to enjoy it because, as I’ve said before and I believe it, you don’t know if you’re ever going to get back here.”
That answer offered two hints at Springer’s postseason past. “Again” was a reference to how often he’s answered questions about excelling under pressure. “As I’ve said before” pointed to the unavoidable trap of repeating himself. Springer entered Wednesday with 17 homers in 54 career playoff games. He went 0-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday’s defeat. But he’s more used to aiding wins in the fall — or willing them — before finding a crowd at his locker, camera lights in his face, curiosity aimed at his ability to turn gut-twisting moments into batting practice.
That was one other difference Tuesday: After Springer bullied the A’s, he settled into a Zoom call with reporters around the country. A mask hung below his chin. Playoff teams are still adjusting to neutral sites, no off days, a new set of challenges amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. That hasn’t muffled Springer’s bat, though, and the Astros could soon advance to their fourth straight AL Championship Series. And with Verlander out, with Zack Greinke ailing, with their bullpen blowing a three-run lead in Game 3, they’ll need Springer and the offense to lift them there.
“You’ve come to expect it,” Astros Manager Dusty Baker said of Springer’s playoff production. “This guy is a tremendous ballplayer, a tremendous athlete, and his concentration level rises during these times. He’s not missing pitches that he should hit, and he’s hitting them out. Boy, it’s fun to watch him perform like this.”
For his first Game 2 homer, Springer lifted a full-count, outside curve over the left-center field fence. For his second, he stalked a first-pitch, outside cutter to stretch Houston’s lead. Both were borderline strikes, the kind each pitcher probably could live with when dissecting tape. But Dodger Stadium is a launchpad on warm days, shown by the 18 total homers for the Astros and Athletics. That’s a record for the first three games of any playoff series. Springer and the Astros have used the long ball to start their next World Series push.
Without Verlander, who had season-ending Tommy John surgery on Sept. 30, the old core is slimmed to Springer, José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr., Josh Reddick and Yuli Gurriel. Those players infamously won the 2017 title while illegally stealing signs. Their collective legacy always will be marred by an elaborate, electronic system that ended with banging trash cans in the dugout. And with the 31-year-old Springer reaching free agency this winter, this could be their last chance to win a clean championship together.
Even aside from the playoff homers — he’s tied with David Ortiz for seventh on the all-time list — Springer is an elite hitter. His on-base-plus-slugging percentage has topped .800 in six of his seven seasons. It spiked to .974 in 2019. He’s a three-time all-star who can play all three outfield spots, with most of his experience in center and right. Any contending team could make room for his offense at the top of its order. The Washington Nationals may be among those interested.
When the Nationals shifted Juan Soto to right field in September, Manager Dave Martinez was asked whether that was to clear space for potential acquisitions. Martinez laughed and told a reporter to “use your imagination.” The implication was that Springer, Marcell Ozuna, Michael Brantley and Joc Pederson will be available soon. Houston paid Springer $21 million in 2020. Signing him will take a large investment over multiple years.
“Whatever happens at the end of the day happens,” Springer said Tuesday, deflecting a question about the core splitting. “And you cross that bridge when you get to it.”
Until then, the Astros will be the playoff-crashing villains, with Springer as their guide. They squeezed into the field with a 29-31 record. They swept the Minnesota Twins in the best-of-three first round. They entered Wednesday with a 4-0 postseason record, each game building a narrative that, in such an odd year, of course the Astros would click.
Much oxygen will be exhausted on how to view their feats in 2017 and 2018, when, according to an MLB investigation, they cheated. But 2020 is only clouded by residual anger from around baseball. And Springer, one subject of that discourse, now coming off a down game Wednesday, will see if he can lock back in.
“It’s honestly about enjoying the moment,” Springer said. “Again — understanding that you may never get back to being here ever again. There are guys who go their whole careers without stepping foot on the field in the playoffs.”
