TORONTO — George Springer has made his mark as one of the best leadoff men in baseball history and he's done it his own way.
Springer hit his 11th home run of the season and had a sacrifice fly to lead the Toronto Blue Jays past the Oakland Athletics 12-1 on Sunday. More importantly, his solo shot in the first inning was the 55th leadoff home run of his career, surpassing Alfonso Soriano for the second most in Major League Baseball history.
Only Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson has more with 81.
"I am who I am. I have my own style of hitting," said Springer. "I'm not going to back off.
"I'm not the hitting first because I take a lot of pitches, I'm hitting first because I'm me. That's who I keep planning to be."
Cavan Biggio added a late three-run homer in the five-run eighth inning as Toronto (43-36) earned two wins in the three-game set with the Athletics. Santiago Espinal had a two-run double, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette each had an RBI single as the Blue Jays racked up 11 hits.
Springer finished the game with two hits, two runs, and two RBIs to improve his season average to .265 with 33 runs batted in. He said moving ahead of Soriano in the all-time leadoff homers category was special but that Toronto winning is more important to him.
"You don't really think of that as a kid or a player. It's awesome," said Springer. "I'm happy about it but I'm more happy I was able to help us today."
Starter Yusei Kikuchi (7-2) was superb, striking out eight and limiting the Athletics to just two hits and a run over seven innings. Relievers Trent Thornton and Bowden Francis kept Oakland scoreless the rest of the way.
"I haven't been able to pitch through the seventh inning since I've joined the Blue Jays, so that was great," said Kikuchi through translator Yusuke Oshima. Kikuchi signed with Toronto as a free agent in March 2022.
"I think I was able to save the bullpen so I think that was really good today."
Tony Kemp's solo shot in the sixth was all the offence the lowly Athletics (20-60) could muster. Oakland has a MLB-worst .250 winning percentage.
Luis Medina (1-7) allowed four runs — three earned — over five innings on four hits and seven walks, striking out four. Ken Waldichuk and Yacksel Rios coughed up eight runs between them.
Springer led off the game with a 392-foot bomb to centre field with the Blue Jays noting on the Rogers Centre's Jumbotron that he had moved ahead of Soriano in the all-time standings.
"It's a helluva an accomplishment for him," said Toronto manager John Schneider. "He's not the prototypical leadoff guy.
"I don't know if there is one in today's game, really, but it's a really cool feat and definitely got us going."
Guerrero tacked on another run in the first when Oakland centre-fielder Esteury Ruiz bobbled his single, allowing Whit Merrifield to round the bases for a 2-0 Toronto lead.
Springer was responsible for another Toronto run in the second when, with the bases loaded, he grounded into a double play. That gave Espinal time to scamper home.
Toronto again loaded the bases in the third, this time scoring a run when Medina's wild pitch advanced all three Blue Jays runners with Matt Chapman scoring.
Kemp cut into Toronto's lead in the sixth, leading off the inning with his third home run of the season.
Springer drove in another run in the bottom of that inning. After Kevin Kiermaier reached base on a triple, Springer hit a towering sacrifice fly to deep centre field that had the 41,069 fans at Rogers Centre willing the ball over the wall. Although it fell into Ruiz's glove, Kiermaier easily trotted home.
Espinal extended that lead in the seventh when his hit eluded Ruiz's extended glove and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. That cashed in Bichette and Guerrero for a 7-1 lead.
Bichette poked a single into left field in the eighth to drive in catcher Tyler Heineman.
In the same inning, Guerrero hit into a fielder's choice that scored Springer. Biggio then brought home Guerrero and Chapman with his seventh home run of the season for the game's final score.
ON DECK — Toronto has Monday off before hosting the San Francisco Giants in a three-game interleague series. The rival Boston Red Sox visit Rogers Centre starting Friday.
The Athletics also have Monday off and travel back to Oakland to host the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2023.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
