One of the main protagonists of the Blue Jays’ thrashings of the Yankees this weekend was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had six hits in nine official at-bats, including two home runs.
The first baseman became a executioner for opposing pitchers, who only found ways to stop him when the games were already open and that competitive ambition had diminished to some extent.
Guerrero Jr. became the first Blue Jays player with a grand slam in the postseason, after massacring a Will Warren fastball in the inner zone that he sent flying. The hit traveled 415 feet to left field after being shot at 110.7 miles, the fourth strongest home run in Toronto history in the postseason during the Statcast Era.
According to journalist Francys Romero, citing information from Elias Sports Bureau, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his father Vladimir Guerrero are now the sixth father-son duo to hit home runs in the postseason. In this way, the Blue Jays leader matched a feat previously achieved by current Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
Boone is one of a small list of six father-son pairs with home runs in the playoffs, as is his brother Bret Boone. These are all the duos that have achieved this curious success:
- Bob Boone-Bret Boone
- Bob Boone-Aaron Boone
- Cecil Fielder-Prince Fielder
- Julian Javier-Stan Javier
- Tany Perez-Eduardo Perez
- Vladimir Guerrero-Vladimir Guerrero Jr
Right now, Aaron Boone can’t be too happy that Vlady Jr. has joined this exclusive list, but he has to swallow hard and look for ways to stop a kid who is totally out of control.
Deadly rivalry with the Yankees
In the historical clashes between the Yankees and Blue Jays, the New Yorkers have won 68 more games than their Canadian rivals. However, since the debut of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019, that gap has narrowed, with 54 wins for the Bombers and 52 for Toronto.
The powerful first baseman has played 102 regular season games against the Yankees, with 22 home runs, 50 extra-base hits, 117 hits, 48 runs scored and 74 RBIs. His offensive line (Average/On-base percentage/Slugging/OPS) in these duels is .302/.367/.550/.918, above his historical averages.
“I like to kill the Yankees”
Guerrero Jr. lives the rivalry with the New Yorkers to the fullest, a feeling transmitted by his father, who is a member of the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. “I like to kill the Yankees,” Vlady has said, still with the fresh memory of an incident with this team when he was a child.
“Once my dad took me down to the field and the Yankees told him he could have minors there. But when we looked across the street, they were there with their families and their children. My dad kept that and then passed it on to me,” the 26-year-old slugger said a few months ago.
These episodes from the past have not been erased from Vlady Jr.’s memory, who has now taken the opportunity to take it out on the biggest stage and in the cleanest way possible: without talking, just hitting.
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