Vladimir Guerrero Jr. puts on a show, defeating New York, 6-4

Both teams played relatively close in terms of the runs scored, but the source of offense drastically differed from one another. Whereas a majority of Toronto’s offense stemmed from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., son of MLB legend Vladimir Guerrero, the Yankees had a team effort, and were provided with contributions from a multitude of players. However, few teams are able to do what Vladimir Guerrero did tonight.

The first four innings were the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. show, as he was able to go yard in the first and third inning. It’s impossible to start the game off on a better foot, and Guerrero was able to put pressure on New York early on. As if he were showing off, both of Vladimir Guerrero’s home runs were longer than Rizzo’s (410) and Judge’s (413). Guerrero’s first shot of the day went 416 feet, and his second one was even more monstrous, going for a whopping 427 yards. His second moonshot brought Bichette home as well, which was his third RBI of the day after a solo shot earlier. Through the first few innings, Guerrero himself had more runs than the entire Yankees roster. That’s not too shabby for a player who is just 23 years old. He wasn’t done yet either.

The Yankees took control in the fifth inning, with back-to-back homers from Rizzo and Judge. Rizzo and Judge are two of the strongest hitters in the game, and they displayed their power tonight. With the Yankees offense being nonexistent offensively through the first four innings, New York finally broke through. LeMahieu was finally able to tie the game at three, after a double that knocked in Josh Donaldson. After falling to Guerrero Jr. early, the Yankees finally clawed their way back in the fifth inning, and tied the game at three a piece.

In the sixth inning, Chad Green faced a 1-2 count, with a man on first and second. With Espinal up at bat, and just one out, Gleyber Torres could not force the double play. During the transition to throw the ball, he sort of hesitated, and Rizzo couldn’t bring it down for the out at first. This play ended Chad Greene’s tenure today, and Johnathan Lóasiga stepped into relief against George Springer Springer had a phenomenal outing last game, but struggled today, going 0-3. There were two outs, so all Loasiga needed was one out to save the inning. Springer ended up ripping an RBI single that allowed Biggio to score. If that double play was turned, the Yankees wouldn’t have been in this position to begin with. Gleyber’s error was huge, and ended up costing the Yankees the double play, and their lead as well.

Vladimir Guerrero wasn’t done yet either. On his fourth at bat, Vladimir Guerrero went yard again, and it gave him his third home run of the day. The third home run was also his farthest by far, as it went into the second deck, and traveled nearly 443 feet total. With his second solo shot of the day, Guerrero has taken all of the air out of Yankee stadium. He trotted around the bases, and crossed home, for his 12th base of the day. Guerrero’s three home runs are the most by any player in an MLB game this season, making it the most dominant performance we have seen thus far.

In the bottom of the eighth, with two outs, the Yankees still weren’t done. Gleyber Torres was able to make up for his error earlier, with the Yankees third home run of the day. Although it was just a solo shot, Torres’s homer gave the Yankees a sense that they were still in the game. Hicks continued the rally, as he got on first, which left the game tying run to Giancarlo Stanton at the plate. He crushed a ball so badly that 90% of Yankee fans in the building thought it was gone. However, Tapia made the catch at the warning track, and he retired the Yankees in the eighth. It felt as though New York was knocking on the doorstep but time was not on their side.

In their final chance, Rizzo was able to reach first, after the defense shifted for him. He managed to keep the ball fair, after an awkward bounce strayed away from Toronto. This left superstar Aaron Judge at the plate, who can hit anything out of the park. Judge got up early, on a 2-0 count, and then fouled off the next pitch down the line. Romano then got Judge with a slider, to make it a 2-2 count. Romano then aggressively went upstairs, and got Judge with a 96 mph that was out of the strike zone. Donaldson then lined out to Guerrero Jr., who snagged a line drive for the last out. As if his offense wasn’t enough today, Guerrero had to make a stellar defensive play to end the game as well. Guerrero went 4-4 tonight, with 4 RBI’s and 3 runs, and was absolutely dominant today. The Yankees couldn’t muster up enough offense to come back, and they ended up losing 6-4. Both teams will play at Yankee Stadium, tomorrow night at 7:05 EST.