‘We can stop talking about it’: Guerrero Jr. sheds massive weight from shoulders

TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had heard the boos from the home crowd this season, specifically during the first few games of this weekend's series at Roger Centre.

He’d tell himself it’s simply part of the game and if he needed further reassurance, Guerrero Jr. would recall something his father once told him:

Guerrero Jr. offered that window into his thinking on Sunday afternoon following an 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles and a long-overdue celebration in Toronto. It took almost an entire season and nearly a calendar year, but the first baseman finally removed a massive weight from his shoulders and gave Blue Jays fans what they’d been craving.

“We can stop talking about it,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider with a grin.

The entire scene during the fifth inning created a raucous atmosphere inside the stadium. George Springer had just taken Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers deep with a go-ahead, solo homer and then gave way to Guerrero Jr., who worked the count full.

Rogers then tossed a 79-m.p.h. sweeper at the bottom of the zone, and Guerrero Jr. unleashed a long swing with a high finish before watching the ball sail into the Blue Jays’ bullpen in left field, an estimated 350 feet.

It barely scraped the fence and into the glove of bullpen catcher Matt Domian, yet Guerrero Jr. knew it was gone.

“I know my stadium,” Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. "I know when I can stand at the plate, when I hit it … I saw it and thought, 'That's gonna be gone.'"

The first baseman tossed his bat and looked toward the home dugout before making sure to savour the moment. That much was evident by his 34.14-second trot around the bases, a trip that was six seconds longer than his season’s average.

After crossing home plate, Guerrero Jr. was met by Springer, who put the team’s home run jacket on his back, and then ran through the dugout, receiving high-fives from teammates. The sellout crowd of 41,805 began to chant his name, and several Blue Jays implored Guerrero Jr. to take a curtain call. When he did, they went ballistic.

“It was great,” Guerrero Jr. said. “Our fans are always there for us. I mean, lately, it wasn't that good (of a) reaction, but that's okay. It’s part of it, but (I feel) very happy.”

“Oh my God, I felt everyone in the dugout just drop their shoulders and take a deep breath after that,” said catcher Brandon Valenzuela. “We love the guy, Vladdy's an amazing teammate. We were just trying to cheer him on for the rest of the year. Thank God he got it.”

Added Schneider of the dugout reaction: “It looked like it was a walk-off homer. I saw (Andres) Gimenez jumping over the railing. Myself, George, Ernie (Clement), we were high-fiving. Vlad's our guy, and it's just nice to get that out of the way.”

Guerrero Jr. was appreciative of the support he had received from teammates.