Copyright Star Tribune
Paul Molitor was at home Monday night watching Game 7 of the American League Championship Series when a George Springer at-bat took him back in time. Toronto trailed 3-1 in the seventh inning. Addison Barger was on second base. Twin-for-a-day Isiah Kiner-Falefa was on first. Springer dug in at the plate and hammered an Eduard Bazardo pitch to left. Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena turned and looked up as the ball sailed into the stands for a three-run homer. Bedlam ensued. Two innings later, Toronto was headed to the World Series. “It was eerily similar to when Joe Carter hit his home run,” Molitor said Wednesday. “I thought they might superimpose the two screens of Joe Carter running to first base and George Springer running to first base. They both did that little dance step before they got to the coach. Molitor graciously gave a Twin Cities writer some time for an interview after spending part of the morning on Toronto radio stations to discuss the Blue Jays’ return to the World Series for the first time since 1993. It was 32 years ago when Carter became the only player besides Bill Mazeroski to end a World Series with one of the greatest feats in sports, a walk-off home run. The Jays led the Series 3-2 but trailed 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth in Game 6 at SkyDome. Rickey Henderson was on second after walking, and Molitor, who had already tripled and homered in the game, was on first following a single. Unpredictable reliever Mitch Williams was on the mound when Carter clobbered a 2-2 slider out to left field, and Pete Incaviglia helplessly watched the ball sail over his head. Carter bounced down the first base line before stepping on first, which Springer duplicated Monday. Molitor, then 37, finally got his ring in a Hall of Fame career that included three seasons with the Twins, whom he later managed for four years. “I’ll always remember driving home and that there were still thousands of people on Yonge Street,” he said. “People just didn’t want that night to end.” The well-funded Dodgers have rampaged through the postseason, winning nine of 10 games. They swept the Milwaukee Brewers in four games to reach the World Series for the fifth time since 2017. We are watching a legend at his best in Shohei Ohtani, bashing home runs at the plate and overpowering hitters on the mound. But if Blake Snell pitches eight shutout innings, as he did in Game 1 against Milwaukee, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches a complete game, like he did in Game 2, it’s good night, Irene for the Jays. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knows what his winning formula needs to be: Keep his middle relief out of the game. Roki Sasaki has been solid as the closer. But it’s getting to Sasaki that’s the challenge. Roberts will likely ride his starters as he did in the NLCS. Toronto has to get to the starters to have a shot in this series. Molitor believes the Blue Jays have the hitters to do it. He pointed out that Snell and Yamamoto pitched deep into games because they were efficient. Toronto hitters can put up a fight. “You look at the Blue Jays, and, one through nine, they just don’t strike out a lot,” said Molitor, who threw out the first pitch in Milwaukee before Game 5 of its Division Series against the Chicago Cubs. “And it’s not like they don’t swing hard. You look at Springer and guys like [Vladimir] Guerrero and even that catcher [Alejandro Kirk], they just swing so hard. “But then, somehow, with two strikes, they figure out a way to foul pitches off and put the ball in play. And the bottom of the lineup has done a nice job, too. I hope it shakes out to where they can extend the series and get it back to Toronto for Games 6 and 7, and we will see how it goes.”
