CLEVELAND – George Springer is about as calm a player as you’ll see on the field, but in the seventh inning of Thursday’s game, he became heated in a way that he rarely does.
With the tying run on second base, Springer was at the plate. The hero in Wednesday night’s game and the Blue Jays’ hottest hitter this week, the opportunity in front of him looked like a prime chance to change the course of the game for his club.
With the count 2-2, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Trevor Stephan’s seventh pitch of the at-bat was a fastball low in the zone. Home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak called strike three and an upset Springer voiced his frustration.
As he was walking back to the dugout, Rehak tossed the right-fielder from the game. That brought Blue Jays manager John Schneider out of the dugout and he was quickly ejected, as well. An emotional Springer had to be restrained by Schneider and after about 60 seconds of arguing, both player and manager headed back to the dugout fuming.
That inning proved pivotal in the Blue Jays’ 4-3 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field. It wouldn’t be a stretch to tie the vivid displays of frustration to the current state of the Blue Jays’ offence.
The club scored just seven runs against the Guardians in the four-game series and the fact that they walked away with two wins is entirely due to the strength of its pitching staff, which has continued to carry a heavy burden.
