George Springer drives in Toronto's lone run as he returns for World Series Game 6 against Dodgers

TORONTO (AP) — George Springer hit an RBI single for the Blue Jays' lone run in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday night, making an impact after missing two games with an injury to his right side in Toronto's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Leading off as the designated hitter, Springer went 2 for 4 and hit an RBI single in the third. He led off the eighth with a single but was stranded.

The Blue Jays are one win from their first title since 1993.

Before Game 6, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Springer had "made significant progress in the last 48 hours.”

Bo Bichette, still regaining his fitness after a sprained knee that sidelined him for seven weeks, was at second base.

Springer strained his right side while taking a swing in Game 3 and immediately left after the first pitch of his plate appearance.

“It wasn't great,” Schneider said of Springer's exit. “He's tough. I think any hitter, when you kind of feel something there, you get a little worried. I think that kind of scares guys a little bit but I'm really happy that he's back.”

Schneider said the Blue Jays don't believe Springer can aggravate or worsen his pain by playing.

“That's kind of how we're approaching it,” Schneider said. “There's always some risk, too. There's a difference between being injured and hurting. He's not injured right now. But yeah, there's always a risk.”

Springer worked out in the batting cage and again on the field before Game 5. He was preparing to pinch run for Bichette in the ninth inning, but Bichette grounded out.

“He was pretty close two days ago,” Schneider said of Springer. “It was just trying to balance another day and a half of rest or would he be all right. If we needed him, he was going to come into the game in some capacity. He’s a gamer, man. Ready to go.”

Springer has the second-most leadoff homers in major league history with 63, trailing only Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson’s 81.

Springer hit a three-run homer in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against Seattle on Oct. 20, playing a major role in sending the Blue Jays to their first World Series since 1993.

That came three days after he was struck on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Seattle’s Bryan Woo during the ALCS, forcing him out of Game 5. Springer returned in Game 6.

Springer was the World Series MVP for the Houston Astros in 2017, when he tied a Series record by hitting five homers against the Dodgers. Los Angeles fans have booed him at Dodger Stadium since that Astros title was later tainted by the revelation of their illegal sign stealing.

Associated Press freelancer writer Ian Harrison contributed to this report.

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Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer (4) gets out of the way of a high inside pitch during the eighth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, right, takes an inside pitch as Los Angeles Dodgers' Will Smith makes the catch during the eighth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer gets out of the way of a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer (4) hits an RBI single against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer strikes out during the eighth inning in Game 2 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer leaves the game with an injury with manager John Schneider, right, during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, center, walks off the field as he leaves with an injury with manager John Schneider, left, and first assistant athletic trainer Voon Chong, right, during the seventh inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday vowed to continue releasing prisoners detained under former President Nicolás Maduro during her first press conference since Maduro was ousted by the United States earlier this month.

Rodríguez served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, running Venezuela’s feared intelligence service and managing its crucial oil industry. A 56-year-old lawyer and politician, Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president two days after the Trump administration snatched Maduro from his fortified compound and claimed the U.S. would be calling the shots in Venezuela.

Addressing journalists from a red carpet at the presidential palace, Rodríguez said the process of releasing prisoners had begun under Maduro and “has not yet concluded.”

“That process remains open,” she said, adding that the releases sent a message that Venezuela was starting “a new political moment that allows for understanding of divergence and of political and ideological diversity."

That comment seemingly alluded to detainees held on what human rights groups say are politically motivated charges. Venezuela’s leading prisoner rights organization, Foro Penal, has verified at least 68 prisoners freed since the government under Rodríguez promised to release a “significant number” of prisoners.

The move was seen as an effort to comply with Washington's demands.

Despite sanctioning her for human rights violations during his first term, President Donald Trump enlisted Rodríguez to help secure U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil sales. To ensure the former Maduro loyalist does his bidding, he threatened Rodríguez with a “situation probably worse than Maduro,” who faces federal charges of drug-trafficking from a Brooklyn jail.

In endorsing Rodríguez, Trump sidelined María Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition who won a Nobel Peace Prize last year for her campaign to restore the nation’s democracy. Machado is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Relatives and friends of political prisoners hold banners and candles calling for their loved ones to be set free outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 after the government announced prisoners would be released. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Narwin Gil cries as she waits for news of her detained sister, Marylyn Gil, outside El Helicoide, headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and a detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Mileidy Mendoza, center, waits at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police, where her fiancé Eric Diaz is being held as a political detainee in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, after the government announced prisoners would be released.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Students lay out photos of people they consider political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President, her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, as they prepare to make a statement at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)