When the road team superstar’s son next visits the Bronx, the Yankees would be wise to treat him kindly.
In the 1990s it was Ken Griffey Jr. Now it’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The latest punch came over the weekend in the Toronto Blue Jays’ series victory.
Slugger first baseman Guerrero hit a two-run homer to open the scoring on Friday. On Sunday he did it again, pulling a blistered liner into his seat near the left field foul pole with two outs in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays kept winning, 5-1and the Yankees lost the series for the first time this season.
Guerrero pointed at the sky as he rounded first base. He stuttered around his third place. He kissed his wrist as he rushed home. The crowd booed, which Guerrero greatly enjoyed.
“Sure, listen,” said Guerrero, who batted .341, in Spanish through an interpreter. “But they’re not going to take that home run away from me. I’m just going to keep running the base and having fun.”
Guerrero cannot become a free agent until after the 2025 season, but he publicly vowed not to play for the Yankees last offseason. The declaration was echoed by Griffey of the Seattle Mariners when he was filmed signing autographs at the old Yankee Stadium, saying, “If they were the only team to give me a contract, I will retire,” he vowed.
Origin of Griffey’s Stance calm incident As a teenager, he sat on the Yankees bench with his father, Ken Sr., before a game. Told. They did, but not before Ken Sr. pointed out that his teammate’s son, Greig Nettles, was taking a ground ball at third base at that moment.
The lesson that white players were given privileges that black players weren’t was taught that he hit 41 homers against the Yankees during his career, including five in the 1995 five-game playoff series. Encouraged the young Griffey who struck. The Minnesota Twins hit more homers with Griffey.)
Guerrero’s father, Vladimir Sr., never played for a New York team during his Hall of Fame career, but his career average (.319 including postseason) against the Yankees is .316 throughout the regular season. A little better than the career mark of…and the playoffs. Whatever the origin of Guerrero’s problems with the Yankees, it seems to cut just as deep.
“It’s personal,” he said Sunday. “It goes back to my family.
Like Griffey Jr., Guerrero Jr. has had success against the Yankees. Yankee He has a . 614 slugging percentage at the stadium, making him the best player in the stadium’s 15-year history (minimum 100 at-bats). His 12 home runs in the Bronx are the most that the Lords have hit in his stadium.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, “You come here and get booed and you can do one of two things.” We all know what kind of hitter he is.”
Toronto starter Kevin Gaussman, who held the Yankees to seven scoreless innings on Sunday, said Guerrero is taking on the heel role.
“He seems to love playing here,” Gaussmann said. “He says he doesn’t like coming here, but he’s playing pretty well here. We’re all paying attention whenever he hits the plate. A guy who likes to be the villain when we come here.”
Blue Jays George Springer has a history of heckling. He was one of the players who played for the champion Houston Astros in 2017, the year of the sign-stealing scandal, and was booed by opposing fans when the plans were revealed. According to Springer, Guerrero is calm by nature and trusts his talent and process. But it’s the subtlety that Springer is most impressed with.
“The way he processes information is next level,” Springer said. “He learns the game his way. His way, he remembers everything.”
Clearly, there’s something from the past that drives Guerrero to beat the Yankees at every opportunity.
