Springer bounces back
Astros outfielder and leadoff hitter regains swing after starting the World Series with four strikeouts.
HOUSTON — Before Cody Bellinger broke out of his strikeout-heavy, 0-for-13 World Series start, George Springer did the same, on a smaller scale.
Since Springer’s golden sombrero in this tied series’ opener, he has been the Houston Astros’ steadiest hitter, and he sees the potential parallels between him and Bellinger.
“It just shows you that one game doesn’t define you,” Springer said. “I know he was probably pressing a little bit, but that’s the game. In the baseball world, an out’s an out. I don’t really care how you do it. You could strike out four times or pop out to the pitcher four times. It’s still an 0 for 4. You just have to move on.”
When Springer reached the major leagues in 2014, he struck out at a prodigious rate, one-third of the time he stepped to the plate. Only four major leaguers batted as many times and struck out more often. Two of them aren’t major leaguers anymore.
Aggression has always been the driving force of Springer’s offensive prowess, but he found more success in subsequent years by toning down the swings and misses. His strikeout rate was nearly 50% lower this season than in 2014.
This season was also his best, as he hit a career-high .283, launched a career-high 34 homers, and earned his first All-Star nod.
His performance in Tuesday’s Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, then, represented a return to his rookie ways. His four strikeouts there, in tandem with his three-for-26 American League Championship Series, could have cast doubt on his current value to the Astros. But manager manager A.J. Hinch defended his decision to leave Springer atop his lineup.
“George Springer has way more good days than bad days, and way more good stretches than bad stretches,” Hinch said. “So, I’m going to continue to encourage him.”
His teammates didn’t think twice about Springer’s series opener, nor did they expect Bellinger’s failings to linger all series after his fourstrikeout Friday.
“For me, you read stuff, you hear things, and I’m like, ‘Eh,’ ” Astros catcher Brian McCann said.
“I think people look too deep into four strikeouts. It’s an 0 for 4. You’re talking about two dynamic baseball players that are really good.”
Since the opener, Springer has struck out twice in 14 plate appearances and reached base six times. He has doubled twice and homered twice, once to win Wednesday’s Game 2. He nearly broke open Friday’s Game 3 with a grand slam caught inches short of the outfield wall. His homer in Saturday’s Game 4 was the Astros’ lone hit until Alex Bregman inconsequentially conquered Kenley Jansen in the ninth.
Hinch’s hunch was right. There was nothing wrong with Springer’s swing.
He had bad days, followed by good ones. The bet is that more of the latter will follow.
“To me,” Hinch said, “his swing is perfect.”
Springer recaptured his form by regaining his patience. It began when he drew a walk to begin Game 2. Bit by bit, his tasks rendered themselves easier.
When all he wanted to do was advance a baserunner 90 feet in that night’s tied 11th inning, he produced this series’ biggest blast.
“He’s doing more by just letting the game come to him a little bit,” Hinch said. “I think success often relaxes guys and you track the ball a little bit longer and you hit the ball to all fields.
“He’s just been very disciplined in the strike zone, getting pitches to hit and doing a really good job of calming himself down and actually not trying to do much.”
Springer said he understood some of what the Dodgers were aiming to do against him. He also understood that he needn’t know everything.
“I’m just trying to be who I know how to be,” he said.
“I’m a very, very simple guy, and this game is very hard. Hard times, you try to complicate them, the harder it gets. In these games, it’s the simpler, the better, sometimes.”