Amid difficult season, Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits first home run at Rogers Centre

TORONTO (AP) — For the first time this season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has homered north of the border.

The 2023 Home Run Derby champion, Guerrero connected off Baltimore’s Trevor Rogers in the fifth inning of Sunday’s 8-1 win.

His 350-foot drive into the left field bullpen was his ninth homer of the season. It came in Toronto’s 75th home game, sparking a celebration in the dugout.

“It looked like it was a walk-off homer,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of his team’s reaction. “Vlad’s our guy. It’s just nice to get that out of the way.”

Guerrero is batting .265 with 56 RBIs in 135 games.

With the sellout crowd of 41,805 cheering his name, Guerrero came out for a curtain call.

“Obviously it means a lot,” Guerrero said through a translator.

It was Guerrero’s 29th career home run against Baltimore, his most against any opponent. The hit would have been a homer in six of the 30 big league stadiums.

Guerrero had eight home runs in 18 postseason games last October as Toronto reached Game 7 of the World Series. Three of those homers came at Rogers Centre, including one in Game 6 of the ALCS against Seattle.

A six-time All-Star, Guerrero last homered in a regular season game in Toronto in a loss to Texas on Aug. 17, 2025.

Guerrero Jr. had his second four-hit game of the season Sunday. He nearly homered in his second at bat, lining a double off the wall in right-center.

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