While the Toronto Blue Jays clinched a return to the World Series on Monday, beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, Bo Bichette has waited patiently for his moment.
That could change soon.
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The star shortstop, sidelined since Sept. 6 with a knee injury, had a two-word response when asked by Jon Morosi of MLB Network if he’ll be ready for the World Series.
“I’m good,” he said.
Bichette’s return to the field could be a major boost to the Blue Jays, who host Game 1 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday in Toronto.
Bichette tried running the bases prior to the ALCS, but was not cleared to play. His teammates needed the full seven games to pull out a victory, but ultimately prevailed over the Seattle Mariners on Monday in Toronto.
Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported Thursday that Bichette was “absolutely an option for the World Series if Toronto can advance,” so Monday’s confirmation hardly counts as a surprise.
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Bichette, 27, batted .311 this season, with 181 hits in 139 games. He finished tied for second in the majors in hits — and only three behind the leader, Bobby Witt Jr., who played 18 more games than Bichette.
A free agent after the season, Bichette might have already played his final game in a Blue Jays uniform if the Mariners had pulled out a victory Monday at the Rogers Centre.
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Instead, the Blue Jays can look forward to having one of their best hitters back on the field for their most important series of the season.
Toronto has not played for, or won, a World Series since 1993, when the Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in a memorable six-game series.
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