George Springer crushed a baseball into the seats, making Blue Jays history with the franchise’s first ever leadoff postseason home run in the ALCS. The 36 year old veteran circled the bases while Toronto erupted. But on the internet, the celebration turned sour fast. Baseball fans couldn’t watch Springer’s milestone without thinking about Houston. The Astros. The cheating. The trash cans. Years have passed since that scandal broke, but for many people, the anger hasn’t cooled one bit. Someone asked what seemed like an innocent question but carried serious weight: “Did he know what pitch was coming?” That wasn’t curiosity about his preparation. It was an accusation wrapped in seven words. Springer now plays for Toronto, far from Houston, but he can’t outrun his past. He became the oldest player to hit a leadoff homer in ALCS history, yet the comments section told a different story about how fans really felt.
The Astros Scandal Still Burns Hot
Houston’s 2017 championship will forever have an asterisk in many fans’ minds. The scheme was simple and dirty. A camera in center field captured the catcher’s signs. Someone watching a monitor would bang a trash can to tell hitters what pitch was coming. Springer was there. He benefited from it. He got his World Series ring, and some fans believe he stole it. When he homered against the Mariners, the backlash came hard and fast. One particularly angry commenter wrote, “Stupid George Springer with a Munoz heater, that bastard still cheated while with the Asstros.” The creative insult showed genuine hatred. Another fan posted a gif with the caption, “Thought I heard something right before the pitch.” Translation? They were suggesting the trash cans were back. These weren’t just jokes. They were reminders that a chunk of baseball’s fanbase will never forgive what happened in Houston.
No Escape From History’s Shadow
Springer signed with Toronto in 2021, getting a fresh start with a fat contract. New city, new uniform, new chapter. Except the old chapter keeps following him around. The internet makes sure of that. Every big moment gets the same treatment. After his home run, someone noted, “He was due considering he’s been struggling since the division series.” Fair analysis. Baseball analysis. But it got buried under cheating comments. The game’s ending made things worse for Springer’s narrative. Despite his early heroics, Seattle won. Fans jumped on that immediately. “Spoiler The Mariners win this game,” someone wrote. Another added simply, “Well this didn’t age well.” The home run meant nothing in the end. Toronto lost, and Springer’s moment became just another controversial footnote in a career that can’t shake its past.
