George Springer in elite company after 17th postseason home run

If it’s hard to be good at the game of baseball, it’s harder to be good at the game of baseball during the postseason. George Springer has been good at both. In fact, he seems to reach another level when October comes.

This Tuesday, he belted two home runs against the Athletics in Dodger Stadium to lift the Astros on Game 2 of the NLDS.

Those were his 16th and 17th four-baggers in his postseason career, which allows him to join an elite club of All-Stars and Hall of Famers. Yes, there are not many ballplayers with 17 dingers in the playoffs. Specifically, there have been 10 in history, and Springer is now one of them.

Before the game, the 31-year-old outfielder had 15 homers and was tied with Jayson Werth and THE Babe Ruth. With his first solo shot of the day, he tied former Astro Carlos Beltrán, with 16.

But in the fifth inning, he made more history. Now he belongs to a world-class group:

1. Manny Ramírez, 29
2. Bernie Williams, 22
3. Derek Jeter, 20
4. Albert Pujols, 19
5. Mickey Mantle, 18
6. Reggie Jackson, 18
7. David Ortiz, 17
8. Jim Thome, 17
9. Nelson Cruz, 17
10. George Springer, 17

He has enough talent and time to keep climbing on that list. In fact, he can keep going up this year, right before his contract with the Astros expires.

These two home runs also were fourth and fifth in Springer’s career at Dodger Stadium. He’s now tied for the second-best mark in postseason history, along with Joc Pederson and Steve Garvey. With his next four-bagger in Chávez Ravine, he’ll tie Reggie Jackson in first place, with six. It seems he’ll have a shot at it.