His cold is freezing. His hot is scorching. And he's mostly hot. SpringTime joins Hakeem as HOU's only. Shoutout to JV and Roy.
man if this guy can put together a full season of high level production...so many mvp caliber players on this team
Astros' George Springer wins World Series MVP after setting records vs. Dodgers Springer broke a record held by two Hall of Famers and was the obvious World Series MVP choice Remember back to when this series was headed to Game 2? I know it seems like ages ago, given the roller coaster we've been on. It was so long ago that Astros manager A.J. Hinch was fielding questions about what was wrong with George Springer. At the time, he was 3 for his last 30 and had just gone 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in Game 1. George Springer is now the World Series MVP. Since that brutal stretch, he was a man possessed. After leading off the game with a double and then giving the Astros a 5-0 second-inning lead with a two-run homer, Springer finished with eight extra-base hits (three doubles and five home runs) and 29 total bases this World Series. Those are both new records. The total bases record was previously 25, held by Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson (1977) and Willie Stargell (1979). Springer's five home runs also ties the all-time single World Series record. The others to hit five homers in a single World Series are Jackson -- that same 1977 Fall Classic when he earned the nickname "Mr. October" -- and Chase Utley from 2009. Even in spotting the rest of the field that 0 for 4 with four strikeouts, Springer ended up hitting .379/.412/1.000 in the seven-game Fall Classic. He had three doubles, five home runs, seven RBI and eight runs scored. Remember those pesky four strikeouts from Game 1 that I rudely keep bringing up? The rest of the series, he walked five times against four strikeouts.
This guy wasn't too shabby in his two postseason starts Joe Niekro - 1980 - 10 innings, 0 runs, Astros won 1-0 in 11 Joe Niekro - 1981 - 8 innings, 0 runs, Astros won 1-0 in 10 EDIT - And just for good measure, he threw 2 scoreless innings for the Twins in the 1987 World Series. Lifetime 0.00 ERA in his 20 postseason innings.
Springer got hot at just the right time. It seems to happen often. He is really what makes this team go. When he got that leadoff double and was as loose as the first game of the season, I knew it was game over. Congrats George and thanks for all of the clutch Springer Dingers!
We're nowhere without Springer in this series. Was hoping Altuve and Correa brought more offensively obviously but Springer more than made up for it. On the biggest stage, he thrived and was up for the challenge. A true champion of his sport...on his way to Cooperstown eventually.
Responding to my own post to make sure this gets noticed... Also, in 1980 the Astros and Dodgers were tied after 162 games and had to play a tiebreaker. Some guy named Niekro threw a complete game 7-1 victory. Only run he gave up was unearned. Theoretically, another post season start (but not statistically).
Springer went from looking like a deer in headlights in his first at bat game 1, to horrifying the Dodgers pitchers with his gaze by game 7.
Joe was nails down the stretch in '80: last 4 starts, 4-0, 2 CG, 34.1 IP, 20H, 2 ER, .446 OPS, 0.56 ERA. He pitched that 163rd game on 3 days rest, too.