Springer off ’35 at-bats without a hit’: “I tried to stay within myself”
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer talked about breaking out of a 35-game hitless slump.
“I’m not kidding, it was just pure, unadulterated happiness,” Springer said in an interview after the Blue Jays’ 4-1 home win over the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday.메이저사이트
Springer singled with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning to score Brandon Belt from second base.
It was a hit that broke the silence of zero, and it was also a hit that broke his 35-game hitless slump.
Raising his arms in celebration after reaching first base, he said, “It’s no secret that it’s been a really tough stretch for me. It wasn’t a good time to be in a slump like this, but this is baseball, and I’m glad that I was able to help the team in that moment,” he said.
“I understand that these things can happen, but you don’t want it to happen at this time of year, and you don’t want it to happen this badly. But I tried not to lose my form. I tried to play hard every day and be myself whether I was hitting or not. I tried to have fun and enjoy every day,” he said of his approach to the slump.
“Everyone in the dugout knew what I was going through. They understand how hard baseball is, and they know that anyone can go through a slump like that. It was really special to see them believe in me and support me,” he said, adding that he was grateful for his teammates’ support.
When asked if she had any particular superstitions to get her out of her slump, she replied, “I don’t want to say it publicly, but I did change something, and I think I’m going to do that tomorrow. Because we won,” he laughed.
Toronto won the game in the bottom of the sixth inning after a 1-1 tie between starter Grayson Rodriguez and reliever Shintaro Fujinami. With the bases loaded, they scored on back-to-back singles and a fielding error.
“That’s what you have to do when you play a really good team,” manager John Schneider said, emphasizing the need to not get greedy and make good at-bats. “The guys are ready to go. It’s about taking advantage of the opportunities when they come,” he said.
“That set the tone,” he said, referring specifically to Vladimir Guerrero’s at-bat in the sixth inning, when he drew a walk after fouling off five consecutive 100-mph pitches from Rodriguez.
Springer also praised Guerrero Jr.’s at-bat, calling it “perfectly controlled.” “There are things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He doesn’t get recognized for that. Those things are really big. It was probably the most important at-bat of the game today,” he said.
“I think all the batsmen held their own. If you don’t have a good ball to hit, you pass it up and move on to the next guy. We didn’t have to hit it hard. It was a really good innings for us,” he added, once again praising the efforts of his batsmen.