There is no chance Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. envisioned being the recipient of a curtain call on Sept. 13 simply for going deep in Toronto.
That’s Guerrero’s reality as his homer on Sunday in Toronto’s 75th home game of the season represents his first in front of the home fans this season.
Guerrero stood at home plate to admire the fifth-inning homer off Baltimore Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers. It traveled just 350 feet and barely cleared the left field wall down in the corner in a game the Blue Jays won 8-1.
“I know my stadium,” Guerrero said through an interpreter afterward. “I know when I can stand at the plate.”
But circling the bases in Toronto was something he hadn’t done since homering in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners on Oct. 19, 2025.
In fact, he smashed eight homers in an epic 2025 postseason performance – three coming at home. He had two blasts in the World Series, which the Blue Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
Instead of a strong sequel, the season has been sharply disappointing for Guerrero.
Guerrero, 27, went 4-for-5 on Sunday to raise his batting average to .265. He has just nine homers and 56 RBIs in 135 games.
The six-time All-Star averaged 31.8 homers over the previous five seasons. The lackluster campaign comes in the first year of Guerrero’s 14-year, $500 million contract with the Blue Jays.
With high expectations after a World Series visit, the deep drop in Guerrero’s production has led to some jeers and criticism from the home fans.
That led Guerrero to reflect on something his famous father — Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. — likes to tell him.
“I thank the fans for their support,” the younger Guerrero said. “And one thing my dad always told me, he’d say, ‘Son, the fans never boo a bad player.’ I’ll leave it at that.”
