There’s nothing quite like thrilling your team with a home run from first position, and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer is well acquainted with that feeling.
Springer opened the close of the first inning of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Athletics with a solo hit and his 55th throw of that kind earned him the only second spot in the MLB all-time leadoff homer list. jumper broke the tie against Alfonso Soriano, and is now second only to Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who accomplished the feat 81 times in his illustrious career. Springer also passed Craig Biggio – father of Blue Jays teammate Cavan Biggio – earlier this season.
From then on, Toronto’s offensive didn’t let up and clinched the series victory over Oakland with a 12:1 victory. Springer finished the game 2-on-3 with a walk and contributed two RBI.
The 33-year-old has established himself as one of the most effective leadoff hitters in MLB history, spending 856 of his 1,082 games at the top of the lineup. In those 856 contests, he was the first batter on his team to boast an impressive batting line of .299/.371/.561 on plate appearances.
Blue Jays outfielder George Springer now has the second most leadoff homers in MLB history. (Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)
Overall, Springer hasn’t been as productive in 2023 as he usually is. At the start of Sunday’s game, he clocked .261 with an OPS of .724, the latter marking a career low. His offensive stats were hurt by a miserable start to the season as he struggled with illness. In March and April he only scored .225 with an OPS of .599.
The four-time All-Star and 2017 World Series MVP is in the third season of a six-year, $150 million contract, which he signed in 2021 after spending the first seven years of his career with the Houston Astros.