TORONTO — Center fielder George Springer was carted off the field after a freak collision with Bo Bichette in the Blue Jays’ 10-9 loss on Saturday in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Rogers Centre.
Bichette clipped Springer on the back of the neck with his elbow as both Blue Jays fielders sprinted for a high fly ball from the Mariners’ JP Crawford in the eighth inning.
Bichette and Springer fell while three Seattle runs came around to tie the game at 9, but the worst development of the play was that Springer was unable to stand back up on his own. Interim manager John Schneider and trainer José Ministral joined the huddle of Toronto players in the outfield and helped Springer back up.
As he sat on the cart and was driven off, the Blue Jays’ outfielder waved his hands to a very silent crowd, demanding they make noise and keep supporting their team. Jackie Bradley Jr. took over at center field and in the leadoff spot.
It was the latest oddity of a game filled with chaos, as Toronto had already been forced to pull Whit Merrifield after he was hit on the helmet by a pitch from Diego Castillo earlier in the game. Merrifield initially remained in the game to run the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but he was replaced on defense to start the sixth. However, that may have been as a precaution, as the Blue Jays were leading 8-1 at the time.
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