UCONN Professional Athletes

The End of an Era in Toronto

George Springer is playing out the final days of his baseball life as a Blue Jay — and possibly as a major leaguer. The UConn product's six-year, $150 million contract expires after Toronto's home series against the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, and the 37-year-old DH has been refreshingly candid about the uncertainty ahead. He has not committed to returning for another season, and by his own admission, he doesn't yet know what comes next.

Springer's teammates have echoed the emotional weight of the moment. Multiple Blue Jays have spoken publicly about how much his presence has meant in the clubhouse, and Toronto media have been equally generous in their retrospectives. The consensus: Springer delivered on a massive, scrutinized contract in a market that doesn't forgive underperformance easily. That's no small thing.

On the field this week, Springer has shown flashes of why Toronto signed him in the first place. He went 2-for-his-final-games against Baltimore on Monday (Sept. 21), driving in a run and contributing to a three-run first inning that briefly had the Blue Jays in control before the Orioles rallied for a 4-3 win. He added a hit and a run scored Wednesday in Game 1 of the doubleheader, though Toronto fell again, 4-2. Then on Friday against Cincinnati — the series that will close the book on his Jays tenure — Springer scored a run in a 6-5 Toronto win, finishing the week hitting .248.

Toronto's postseason hopes are long gone, which strips the final games of stakes but adds a different kind of gravity. There's no pennant race noise to drown out what is, for Springer, a genuine crossroads. The Reds series is his curtain call in a Blue Jays uniform, and possibly his last in any uniform.

Other UConn Alumni Around the League

The Springer storyline dominates, but two other Huskies were active across the league this week.

Anthony Kay (White Sox) took the mound Tuesday against the Royals and delivered a workmanlike four innings, fanning four batters while allowing four earned runs in a 14-11 Chicago win. His ERA sits at 4.53 on the season — a serviceable mark for a White Sox team that has had precious little to celebrate this year.

Andrew Sears had a rougher outing. The 24-year-old Tigers lefthander allowed five earned runs in just 1.2 innings against Pittsburgh on Friday — a rough line that pushed his ERA to 7.11. Detroit had already optioned Sears earlier in the week to make room for Justin Verlander's activation off the injured list, so the callup was brief. It's been an uneven developmental season for the young pitcher, though there's no shortage of time to course-correct.

The week belonged to Springer, though. Whatever he decides — another contract, another city, or a quiet retirement — the UConn alum is finishing a defining chapter on his own terms, one final at-bat in the Rogers Centre at a time.

George Springer packed a lot into seven days. The UConn alum hit his 15th homer of the season, was named a Roberto Clemente Award finalist, turned 37, and watched the Toronto Blue Jays' postseason hopes teeter — all before the calendar flipped to the following week.

The highlight reel opened Sunday, September 13, when Springer went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBIs, and a run scored in an 8-1 blowout of the Baltimore Orioles. The long ball was part of a back-to-back-to-back sequence with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto — the kind of moment that ends up on a highlight loop for the rest of the year. The win gave Toronto a series clinch and left the Blue Jays at .500 (75-75), sitting on the playoff bubble heading into a critical stretch.

Then came the Roberto Clemente Award news. Springer was announced as a finalist for the honor — MLB's most prestigious award recognizing community service and humanitarian efforts — a recognition that speaks to the work he has put in off the field throughout his career. He addressed the nomination directly, framing it in characteristic team-first terms. For a veteran approaching the end of a six-year, $150 million contract, the nod represents a career milestone that goes well beyond batting averages and home run totals.

The birthday came next. Springer turned 37 on September 19, continuing to climb Toronto's all-time franchise leaderboards in several offensive categories as he plays out the final stretch of his time with the club.

The week wasn't without turbulence. After the Orioles series, the Blue Jays dropped two straight to the Detroit Tigers before a Wednesday split left the club scrambling. Springer contributed across the Detroit series — reaching base multiple times and driving in a run in Wednesday's 5-1 win — but the team's inability to take the series reflected the precariousness of its playoff position. By the weekend, Springer went a combined 3-for-13 across two games against the Texas Rangers as Toronto's margin for error grew razor-thin.

Also in the brief: Fellow UConn alum Andrew Sears had a rough outing for Detroit on Friday, surrendering hits in just 0.2 innings against the White Sox in an 11-8 Tigers win. The young right-hander continues to work through the challenge of converting his stuff into consistent outs at the big-league level — a developmental crossroads that will define whether he has a long MLB future. Anthony Kay, pitching for the White Sox, logged four innings against Cleveland on Wednesday, striking out three and carrying a 4.41 ERA.

But this week belonged to Springer. At 37, on a playoff-chasing club, with a humanitarian award nomination in hand, he remains the most complete story in the UConn MLB alumni universe — on the field and off it.

Springer Battles Through, Keeps Blue Jays Talking Playoffs

George Springer is not walking away from this pennant race quietly — even when he can barely walk to the plate.

The UConn alumnus and Toronto designated hitter has been navigating an injury during the most consequential stretch of the Blue Jays' season, sitting out the finale of a series loss to the Oakland Athletics after management opted to rest him rather than risk further damage. Manager John Schneider addressed the decision publicly, confirming the move was precautionary as Toronto, sitting at 73-74 and just one game behind Cleveland for the final AL Wild Card spot, can afford neither the loss of their veteran presence nor a longer-term setback.

Springer made his feelings about the stakes crystal clear after the Athletics series — a disappointing skid that briefly threatened to sink the playoff push. "We know what we have to do," he said in a blunt post-series quote that made the rounds. "There's no hiding from it." It's the kind of accountability talk that plays well in a clubhouse trying to stave off September irrelevance.

When healthy and in the lineup, Springer has delivered. He collected two hits Friday against Baltimore and added two more — plus a run scored — in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Orioles. His batting average has hovered around .248–.250 through the week, not spectacular, but consistent from a 36-year-old DH managing his body through a grueling final month.

The broader Blue Jays picture is this: 18 games left as of the Athletics series opener, a paper-thin margin in the standings, and a roster leaning on Springer's experience to set the tone. Fellow Blue Jay and UConn product Pat Gallagher is also on the roster, though it's Springer who remains the program's most visible presence in the league's pennant conversation.

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Elsewhere: Sears and Kay Toe the Rubber

Two other UConn arms made starts this week with far less postseason drama attached.

Andrew Sears, optioned back to Triple-A Toledo by Detroit earlier in the period after the Tigers activated Brant Hurter, nonetheless made a start for the Tigers against Colorado on Saturday. The lefty went 4.1 innings, struck out five, and allowed four earned runs in an 11-7 Detroit win — a mixed outing that leaves his ERA at 5.40 and his roster spot uncertain heading into the final weeks.

Anthony Kay took the ball for the rebuilding Chicago White Sox against St. Louis on Saturday, going four innings with two strikeouts and three earned runs allowed. At 4.53 ERA, Kay has been serviceable in a lost season for Chicago — not the backdrop any competitor wants, but professional innings nonetheless.

The contrast couldn't be starker: Springer grinding through injury for a Wild Card berth, while two fellow Huskies log late-season reps for teams long eliminated. UConn's MLB footprint this week runs the full spectrum of September baseball — from meaningful to developmental. For now, all eyes are on Springer and whether Toronto can close the gap in time.