There was a scary incident in Game 5 of the ALCS matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.
In the seventh inning, with the Blue Jays up 2-1 and looking to extend their lead, George Springer was hit by a fastball directly on his right knee. Just the sound of that contact alone made it seem like the resurgent slugger was going to miss some time.
And for a team that is already without Bo Bichette after it appeared like they might get him back for the start of this series, losing another key part of their lineup at this stage of the season could be a potentially fatal blow.
John Froschauer-Imagn Images
Thankfully, it doesn’t appear like that is going to be the case, as the best-case scenario happened for Toronto when the X-rays on Springer’s knee came back negative, according to Sportsnet. Blue Jays manager John Schneider took it a step further when discussing Springer’s status for Game 6.
“He’ll have to really, really be hurting to not be in the lineup on Sunday,” he stated.
That is great news for Toronto, and it’s about the only positive thing that came from Game 5 on Friday. Because after the seventh inning when Springer was hit, the Blue Jays blew their 2-1 lead, falling to the Mariners by a score of 6-2 after reliever Brendon Little gave up a game-tying solo home run to Cal Raleigh in the bottom of the eighth and Seranthony Dominguez came on and gave up a grand slam to Eugenio Suarez during that same frame.
EUGENIO SUAREZ GRAND SLAM FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/cQbQQcMrFs
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 18, 2025
After battling back from a 2-0 deficit following dropping the first two games of this ALCS matchup at the Rogers Centre, it appeared like the Blue Jays were going to head back home with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to advance to the World Series on their home field. But that is not the case anymore.
Toronto will now need to win the next two contests, and that starts on Sunday. The good news is that Schneider seems confident Springer is going to be in the lineup, something that bodes well for this offense after their first two games at home were uncharacteristically quiet.
Springer’s knee will still need to be monitored before Game 6 gets underway to see if there is a setback or anything along those lines. But the fact that his X-rays came back negative after it appeared like there was substantial damage done is a major positive.
