How the Los Angeles Dodgers reached the World Series for the third time in six years
USA TODAY Sports’ Gabe Lux explains how the Dodgers dominated the Brewers en route to a World Series appearance.
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- Joe Carter’s walk-off home run clinched the 1993 World Series in Toronto.
- The Blue Jays are back in the Fall Classic for the first time since their last win.
- Carter played 17 seasons in MLB and won two championships with Toronto.
Joe Carter, the man who hit the biggest home run in Toronto Blue Jays history, sat in his home theater and watched history repeat itself more than 30 years later.
It was an out-of-body experience, almost like a replay of himself circling the bases and jumping after hitting the game-winning home run in the 1993 World Series that made him a national hero in Canada.
Nearly 32 years later, George Springer forever etched his name into Blue Jays lore, hitting a dramatic three-run homer in the seventh inning to lead the Blue Jays to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners and advance to the World Series.
The packed crowd of 44,770 at Rogers Center screamed with excitement.
Carter screamed in his home, startling his wife and daughter as they walked upstairs, and his entire neighborhood in Leawood, Kan., heard the screams of joy.
“This is crazy, this is really crazy,” Carter told USA TODAY Sports. “My heart was beating 10,000 times a second and I wasn’t even playing. That’s tough for a 65-year-old man.”
The moment Springer’s batted ball landed in the left field seats, Carter knew exactly what he would say if he met Springer before Game 1 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
“Welcome to the three-run home run club!
“You’re looking at me. You’re looking at Jose Bautista. You’re looking at Edwin Encarnacion. And now you’re looking at George Springer.
“can’t believe it”
Carter became emotional after seeing Springer’s reaction, jumping up and down, circling the bases and throwing his arms in the air.
This is the third game-winning home run after the seventh inning of a Game 7 in postseason history, second only to Hal Smith of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series and Howie Kendrick of the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series. And Springer is the only player in history to accomplish this feat while his team was trailing by multiple points.
It brought back memories of October 22, 1993, the night in the same building when the Blue Jays were trailing the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series. There were two runners on base when Carter came to bat, but he hit a three-run home run off Phillies closer Mitch Williams into the left field seats to win the World Series.
This was the second home run in baseball history to end a World Series, following Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960.
“I said to my wife, ‘Sweetheart, when you were in the stands and I was at the plate, I knew what you were feeling,'” Carter said. “I was so nervous. My heart was beating so fast.
“And he did it. He really did it. It was unbelievable.”
Carter was exchanging text messages with Hall of Fame pitcher and Fox analyst John Smoltz during the game, and just as the Blue Jays were about to open the bottom of the seventh inning, he sent another text to Smoltz.
“I’m looking for a hero.”
The inning began with a walk by Addison Berger and a single by Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, followed by a sacrifice bunt by No. 9 batter Andres Jimenez. Springer, who badly bruised his knee in Game 5 in Seattle, hit a 96 mph fastball into the stands from Mariners relief pitcher Eduardo Buzzard with one out and first base.
Carter found his hero.
Then, the last two innings, I was holding my breath,” Carter said. “I didn’t want to see Cal Lowry step up to bat.”
Instead, Lowry, who had hit a home run earlier in the game, was left standing in the on-deck circle as closer Jeff Hoffman struck out the side.
“Now they don’t have to talk about ’93 anymore,” Carter said. “I’m very happy. They went from a bad situation to first place and now they’re able to go to the World Series.”
Just three weeks ago, Carter was in Toronto filming a team commercial with Springer to get the crowd excited, with Carter telling fans, “We’ve done it in the past, we can do it now.”
And now Carter and Springer will spend the next 20 years together at autograph shows and may hit the two most famous home runs in Blue Jays history.
“I was so happy for him,” Carter said. “It was like poetic justice. The guy gets hit in the knee and the fans are booing him. Are you kidding me? Well, Seattle fans are going to boo George Springer a lot. He’s going to go down in their history.”
Carter played 17 years in the big leagues with four different teams, but Toronto holds a special place in his heart. It’s where he spent seven years, where he won back-to-back World Series championships, and where celebrity golf tournaments have been held for the past 15 years, where he calls his second home.
“This means a lot to everyone in Toronto and, in fact, all of Canada,” Carter said. “I just remember how much joy we brought everyone, but that was a long time ago. There are a lot of Blue Jays fans who weren’t alive when we won.
“Now they can make their own memories. It’s an amazing memory.”
Carter is heading to Toronto for the World Series and plans to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at one of the games, saying, “They’ve saved me the last 32 years, so that day should come.”
And when I meet everyone, I’ll tell them it’s not enough to be in the World Series. If you make it this far, you might be able to win.
“It’s fun to get there, but we didn’t get there to get there. We have to win everything,” Carter said. “Don’t be satisfied just getting there, let’s win. You know you’re an underdog. You’re going against a guy with a billion-dollar salary and a superhuman in Shohei Ohtani. They’re a top-notch organization with arms, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.”
The Dodgers are on the verge of winning back-to-back World Series titles like the 1992-1993 Blue Jays, something only two teams have achieved in the past 50 years.
Carter wants the Blue Jays to prevent the Dodgers from joining the elite team.
“The Dodgers are good, but the Blue Jays have a championship pedigree,” Carter said. “It showed in their DNA when they lost their first two games at home, then went to Seattle where they had to win, and then came back home where they had to win.
“I’m telling you, we can do it. The city of Toronto is going to be excited. All of Canada is going to be very excited. And I’m very excited, too.”
“This is going to be a classic.”
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