It took George Springer all of two innings to set his career-high in RBI Thursday night.
Entering play with the worst OPS in the American League, Springer capped off a five-run first inning for the Toronto Blue Jays off New York Yankees starter Carlos Rodon with a three-run, 391-foot home run, launching a fastball into the second deck at Rogers Centre.
But the 34-year-old didn’t stop there, as he came up the next inning with two runners on and hit another Rodon fastball, but even further out to left-centre.
Springer drove his third home run in his last seven trips to the plate 434 feet, his longest home run of the year and furthest since April of 2023.
His second three-run shot also gave him six RBIs in the game, topping his career-best five, which he has reached on six separate occasions in his 11-year career. His last time driving in five runs came in a Toronto win over the Baltimore Orioles in October 2021.
The early power surge marks the 22nd multi-homer game of Springer’s career. He has hit three long balls just once before, blasting three home runs as a member of the Houston Astros in 2019.
While much has been made of Springer’s recent struggles, Toronto manager John Schneider has stuck with the veteran outfielder, keeping in the lineup throughout his recent downturn in performance.
Schneider even suggested that the Blue Jays had non-public information that suggested Springer was trending in the right direction.
With the two homers, Springer reached eight on the season while moving his OPS to .614.
You can watch as the Blue Jays continue their season opener against the Yankees on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.