Looks like the ghost of the 2017 Astros just won’t stop haunting baseball. This time, the Blue Jays are the ones feeling the heat. Just a few weeks ago, Yankees insider Craig Carton called Toronto ‘Astros 2.0’. He accused the Jays of cheating after they crushed the Yankees in the ALDS, but could barely score in the first two ALCS games against Seattle.

Well, fast-forward to now, the Blue Jays have just won Game 7 of the ALCS to punch their first World Series ticket since 1993. Unfortunately, it came with a side of ‘cheating’ chatter.

“Once a cheater, always a cheater #neverforget,” a fan remarked.

When Carton said, “I think they’re probably cheating,” or a fan claimed, “This has another Astros incident written all over it,” a few weeks ago, it was directed at the Blue Jays for their inconsistency and lopsided wins. They went 10-1 and 13-7 against the Yankees, and soon fell 1-3 and 3-10 to the Mariners in the series that followed. But this time, the fury surrounds one of the Blue Jays’ star sluggers: George Springer.

Before signing the six-year $150 million contract with the Blue Jays in 2021, Springer was a notable part of the 2017 Houston team that cheated its way to the World Series title by signal stealing (they had managed a total of 101 regular-season wins). He was even named the World Series MVP after hitting five home runs in the Fall Classic against the Dodgers.

But while the 36-year-old expressed his ‘regrets’ once the truth was out in 2020, it did not help that the players were exempted from paying a price, while also getting to keep their ring. A similar violation back in 1919 by eight members of White Sox had resulted in a ‘banned for life.’

So the fans remain bitter, and it only got worse for Springer, who hit the game-defining shot for the Blue Jays in Game 7.

With Toronto down 1-3 against the Mariners, the outfielder came in with a limp he had gotten from three nights before. A 97 mph fastball in Game 5 by Bryan Woo had kept him out for the following game. But Springer wasn’t willing to sit by and watch. After being bombarded with fastballs all evening, in the bottom of the seventh, he smashed a 381-foot three-run homer.

Seattle never recovered, finishing 4-3, and washing away their chance of making it to the World Series for the very first time. Now the conspiracy theorists are running wild: How Springer could hit that homer on point? Does it mean he knew about the pitch beforehand?

A few who don’t wish to ride on the theories, blame it on Dan Wilson, who took out Woo in favor of Eduardo Bazardo. The former had had two scoreless innings of relief just prior. Then there was Andres Muñoz, who struck out 12 batters per nine innings this season, while also being rested for two days. Wilson could have chosen to stick with either, but he brought in Bazardo, who had thrown 15 pitches the night before.

The move backfired when Springer hit the homer, and the Blue Jays’ pitchers refused to let Seattle score in the next two innings. But the outfielder’s history was a little too much for a few spectators to let pass.

The Blue Jays couldn’t escape the wrath of the cheating accusation

“Altuve lent him the buzzer. Check under his shirt,” one fan remarked. This is a direct reference to Jose Altuve being accused of wearing a buzzer underneath his jersey to be alerted about the pitch selection. The doubts had surfaced after the 2017 MVP was seen gesturing to his teammates not to tear his jersey following his game-winning shot during Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS.

However, the Astros’ scandal of 2017 mostly involved cameras and banging on trash cans. So, it’s not just about the Jays slugger’s past, but a classic example of rival fans undermining the winning team. “He f****** cheated again,” added another.

Well, there are no allegations of cheating against the Blue Jays in game 7 tonight, and the entire game went fair and transparently. Yet the comments read, “Probably cheated” and “A product of the Houston Astros.”

By referencing his former team, the fans seem yet to get over Springer’s past. However, a few note that the outfielder’s talent just cannot be overpowered by the scandal. “George never needed the trash cans,” one fan highlighted. Just check how Springer performed all through this year. With the Blue Jays, he scored 32 HRs at .309, and in Game 7, he hit his career 23rd postseason homer– the third most in the league.

Nevertheless, Springer performed what is expected from him, and this year, the Blue Jays surely performed like a World Series-bound team.