Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed his five-RBI, one-homer performance against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday with another strong showing Thursday, helping the Toronto Blue Jays secure an important 6-3 series win. Guerrero went 0-for-3 but drove in a run in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, while Brett Bateman collected three hits and Nathan Lukes added two hits, including a two-run double.
The win moved Toronto to just a half-game behind the Guardians at 70-70 for the final American League wild card spot. The Blue Jays (70-71) are also just one game below .500 with 21 regular season games remaining.
David Frerker-Imagn Images
Guerrero made his mindset clear after Thursday’s win. The first baseman told reporters that his focus is no longer on chasing the individual numbers he expected to produce this season.
“To be honest with you, my mindset right now it’s about winning games,” Guerrero said via his interpreter. “Obviously at this time of the year, I’m not gonna put the numbers that I would like to have, so my mindset is try to do the little things, everything I can do possible to help my team win games” (h/t Hazel Mae of Sportsnet).
The comments come as Guerrero appears to be finding his form amid a down year for the six-time All-Star. He is hitting .260 with eight home runs, 54 RBIs, a .332 on-base percentage and a .689 OPS in 126 games.
The Blue Jays need more of the version of Guerrero they saw Wednesday, when he went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a season-high five RBIs in Toronto’s 11-0 rout of Cleveland.
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Toronto invested heavily in Guerrero when it signed him to a 14-year, $500 million extension in April 2025. With a wild card spot now within reach, the Blue Jays need their franchise star to play like the player they committed half a billion dollars to.
Toronto begins a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
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