It took until midway through September, but Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has finally hit his first home run at the Rogers Centre of the 2026 campaign.
Facing a full count against Baltimore Orioles starter Trevor Rogers in the bottom of the fifth inning, Guerrero got ahold of a low slider and launched it over the left-field wall to increase the Blue Jays’ lead to 3-1.
His home run followed a blast by George Springer, which was immediately followed by a home run from Kazuma Okamoto to give the Blue Jays back-to-back-to-back blasts.
Guerrero’s home run is just his ninth of the disappointing campaign for the superstar slugger. After hitting a home run to help key the Blue Jays to a series victory in Cleveland against the Guardians earlier in September, Guerrero spoke to reporters about his struggles this season and his goals the rest of the way.
“We’re all human beings,” Guerrero told reporters through an interpreter on Sept. 4. “There’s a lot of ups and downs, obviously, this year has not been my year, or the year I wanted. But I talk, always good communication, with the coaching staff and players.
“Basically just tell them ‘Hey, it’s not going my way right now, but stay with me. Stay with me. I’m going to continue to keep working hard and, at the end, I’ll be there for you guys.”
A home run in a close game against another team in the playoff hunt will certainly qualify as a big help.
Last season, Guerrero hit .292 with 23 home runs and an .848 on-base plus slugging percentage, finishing 13th in American League MVP voting. That performance helped the Blue Jays finish fourth in runs scored per game (4.93) in the league and win the AL East Division title at 94-68.
Guerrero went on to have one of the finest postseason performances in MLB history to help push the Blue Jays to Game 7 of the World Series, where they ultimately lost in extra innings. He smacked eight home runs, finished one behind teammate Ernie Clement for the most hits in a single postseason (29) and hit to an OPS of 1.289 across 18 games.
This year, Guerrero entered Sunday’s action hitting .259 with a career-worst .683 OPS and just 55 RBI. That performance has played a large part in the Blue Jays’ scoring woes this year as they rank worst in the league in runs per game (4.03).
The Blue Jays (74-75) entered Sunday’s action trailing the Guardians by one game in the hunt for the final wild-card slot in the American League.
