The Toronto Blue Jays had to face a hard truth after Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won the game 6–5 after 18 innings. And George Springer, the star player, had to leave the field during the game because his right side hurt. Now, we still don’t know if he will play in Game 4. This loss puts the Blue Jays down 2-1 in the series. Springer’s injury could be the hardest thing for Toronto to deal with, and they can’t fix it just by working hard.

Springer left Game 3 in the seventh inning because his right side hurt. That night, he had an MRI to find out how bad the injury was. Shi Davidi’s analysis on Foul Territory X says that the most likely explanation is that Springer hurt his oblique, which is a serious concern because this muscle group is used a lot when you swing a bat. Davidi said the situation was worrying, even though the Blue Jays tried to stay positive.

“I don’t know that anybody was willing to go there and think, ‘Okay, we’ve lost Springer for the series,’ but there’s obvious concern,” Davidi explained, noting that Blue Jays manager John Schneider adopted a glass-half-full approach while acknowledging the gravity of losing such a vital player.

Davidi highlighted the physical toll an oblique injury imposes on George Springer, already managing multiple ailments.

“It’s tough to play through an oblique if that’s what it is, and that’s the guess based on the limited stuff we heard. If you don’t have your obliques, you can’t swing the way you need to swing. He’s already got his knee and other ailments he’s playing through—the wrist, all that stuff.”

Davidi stressed that the Toronto organization hasn’t accepted this scenario yet. Instead, they were still hoping for Springer’s recovery during the series.

Manager John Schneider expressed cautious restraint following the loss. “We’ll see how it comes back and see how he walks up (Tuesday), but it sucks. He’s obviously a huge part of our lineup. Glad I got him out when I did. Hopefully, it didn’t make anything worse,” the skipper stated.

The fact that Springer’s status is up in the air makes things even harder for a team that is already facing Game 4 on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Toronto Blue Jays have to change their strategy now that their leadoff hitter is out, and they have to deal with the emotional toll of a long loss. While the organization waits for medical clarity, the stakes of staying competitive in a series they can’t afford to fall further behind have just gotten a lot higher.

No Springer: Bieber faces Ohtani in a high-stakes World Series showdown

The Blue Jays were dealing with the pain of their 18-inning loss and George Springer’s injury worries when the long game threatened to throw off their pitching plans for Game 4. After the long battle, John Schneider was thinking about whether to use his next starter in the extra innings, and people were wondering if Dave Roberts might do the same with the Dodgers’ rotation.

But the planned matchup stayed the same.

Shane Bieber will pitch for Toronto, continuing his World Series role after pitching in the seventh game of the ALCS, which was the most important game of the series. The 30-year-old righty has a 1-0 record in 12.1 innings and a 4.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts and three walks going into Game 4. His best one was Game 3 against Seattle.

Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is getting ready for his World Series pitching debut.

The Dodgers’ two-way star hurt Toronto’s offense a lot during the series, and now he’s going to pitch. And Ohtani’s recent form has already been too much for the competition. In his last regular-season game, Game 4 of the NLCS against Milwaukee, he struck out 10 batters while the Dodgers won the pennant. His role in that win showed the kind of high-pressure performance he brings to big moments.

The Blue Jays have a tough job ahead of them that goes beyond their injury problems. It’s even harder for a team that is already behind in the series to match bats against Ohtani’s pitching skills when their leadoff hitter’s status is still up in the air. Now, Toronto has to deal with both the strategic challenges of Game 4 and the emotional and physical toll of Monday night.