It was tough to believe that it just got away and drilled Blue Jays hitter George Springer, especially when it came from a guy who had just thrown consecutive complete games on 104 pitches and did something that nobody had done in over 2 decades. It was only the third inning of the game when George Springer, in his first at-bat after hitting a double in the first inning, was hit by a pitch on Yoshinobu’s 96 mph four-seam fastball. We’re not claiming it was intentional, but it happened, right?

And former Dodgers star Doug Mientkiewicz didn’t take it very well. So he asked when Toronto would finally protect its star. “Just curious here,” Mientkiewicz continued on X. “How many times does Springer have to be a human piñata before someone protects him? I get it’s the playoffs, but enough is enough.”

In fact, Mientkiewicz’s “human piñata” comment was not an exaggeration.

Springer has been taking a serious beating this postseason, and the latest hit in the World Series was just one example. The most frightening incident happened during the ALCS Game 5 when Springer took a pitch directly off his knee on a 96 mph Bryan Woo’s fastball and had to leave that game. The all-time career record for playoff HBPs is 13, and Justin Turner holds that unlucky record. With Springer’s hits all happening in just one postseason, it shows how aggressively teams are pitching him.

Further, Springer’s resurgence this season, while 36 years of age, is tough to believe, considering he struggled badly in 2024, hitting just .220. Many are worried that his million-dollar contract was a mistake. But this year, he proves he deserves every penny of the contract with a .309/.399/.560 batting line and smashing 32 home runs with the second-best .959 OPS of his entire career. He carried that in October.

And in Game 7 of the ALCS, just three days after Game 5’s HBP, Springer hit a massive three-run home run when the Jays were losing 3-1. That single swing sent the Blue Jays to the World Series for the first time in 32 years. This clutch performance is why he is so tough to pitch against. But still, this World Series is more than just one rivalry.

The pressure just got an uptick

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered this season as defending champions. But at the end of the season, they were nowhere near the 104 wins previously predicted. They look vulnerable with 93 wins, but here we are. The Dodgers are playing to repeat the title for the first time since the Yankees did it in 90s, and are the clear favorite with one of their smoothest postseasons ever.

And the Jays were not scared — they didn’t flinch against powerhouses like the Yankees and Mariners. At this stage, they’ve even extended Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million contract. “There’s a reason we are here and there’s a reason they’re there. I think the one thing we cannot do is look over there and say that is Goliath,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “That is a beatable baseball team that has its flaws, and that has its really, really good strengths. How we expose each of them will determine who wins the series. And I got all the confidence in the world in my guys.”

The Jays proved that confidence in Game 1. They shocked the Dodgers with a huge 11-4 victory. They tired out Blake Snell in a way no team could’ve done. Then, the Dodgers punched back hard in Game 2 when Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a complete game to shut down the Blue Jays’ powerful offense in a 5-1 win in the same game where George Springer got that hit.

Now the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers slated Tyler Glasnow to start the game, and the Jays will start with Max Scherzer, whom they signed last winter. And most importantly, it is no longer a David vs. Goliath story, but rather a heavyweight fight between two champions, and Game 3 will decide who takes control. Who do you think will win this pivotal Game 3?