The candidate for American League regular-season Most Valuable Player stole the show in Tuesday’s All-Star Game as 22-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr took home MVP honors for the contest after hitting a 468-foot home run and driving in two runs in the AL’s 5-2 win over the National League.
Guerrero and his dad, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., joined Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. along with Bobby and Barry Bonds as the only father-son combinations to hit a home run in an All-Star game. He’s also the youngest to homer in the game since Johnny Bench, who did it in 1969 at age 21.
“Everyone is talking about how good he is and how good he’s going to be,” AL and Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said with a smile. “I’m not that thrilled that he’s going to be that good because he’s in our division. It’s a fun talent, and we’re all going to get to see it for many years.”
Guerrero drove in his second run on a hard groundout to second base as both his batted balls had exit velocities of 110-plus mph. He ranked second in baseball in the first half with 16 balls with exit velocities of 110 or more.
Guerrero said he actually made a promise to teammates Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and George Springer that he would bring home the MVP award.
“They said, ‘You better win the MVP or don’t come [home],” Guerrero said.
He added: “Dreams come true. Since I was a kid, I’ve been thinking about this moment. I’ve worked all my life very hard, and thank God it’s happening right now.”
Guerrero’s third-inning blast to left field came after the current favorite to win the AL MVP, Shohei Ohtani, grounded out for the second time in the game. Ohtani actually earned the win by pitching a 1-2-3 first inning. He threw a 100 mph pitch, to Nolan Arenado, for the first time since early in the season, eventually getting him to ground out moments later.
“It was by design because I was only going one inning so I didn’t have to think about going further into the game,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “So I just let it rip.”
Said Arenado: “I think he knew that I was his last batter or could have been his last batter if he got out of the inning, so he tried to hump it up a little bit. But he’s as good as advertised.”
Arenado returned to Coors Field, where he played for the Colorado Rockies for eight seasons before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals this past offseason. He went 0-for-2 but got several ovations.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” Arenado said. “Running out to the line, seeing all of them [the crowd]. I really tried to take it in. Usually I’m pretty locked in on the All-Star Game. You just try to have fun. I really appreciated the moment.”
Meanwhile, Ohtani was asked about his past 24 hours, which included competing in the Home Run Derby, leading off for the AL in the All-Star Game, then pitching the bottom of the first inning. He said he slept until 10:30 Tuesday morning.
“It was definitely a lot more tiring compared to the regular season, but if everyone had fun then I’m good with that,” Ohtani said.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Mike Zunino also homered for the AL, making him the player with the lowest regular-season batting average (.198) to hit a home run in All-Star history. His opposite-field blast went 433 feet, the longest opposite field home run hit this season.
His counterpart on the NL side, J.T. Realmuto, also went deep. It was just the third time in All-Star history that catchers from both leagues hit home runs and the first time it has happened since 1997.
Angels first baseman Jared Walsh made the play of the game — in left field — making a sliding catch on a Kris Bryant line drive with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was his first time playing left field in his career.
The AL has won eight straight All-Star Games, the second-longest streak for either league.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Guerrero with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019
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| Toronto Blue Jays – No. 27 | |||
| First baseman / Third baseman / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: March 16, 1999 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 26, 2019, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| MLB statistics (through July 7, 2021) |
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| Batting average | .291 | ||
| Home runs | 52 | ||
| Runs batted in | 175 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
Vladimir Guerrero Ramos Jr. (born March 16, 1999) is a Canadian–Dominican professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. He made his major league debut in April 2019.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes home run in All-Star Game
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Video: 2021 MLB All-Star Game Highlights (Stadium)
The home run gave the American League a 2-0 lead in the top of the third.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Homers as AL Beats NL in 2021 MLB All-Star Game
July 14, 2021
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a 468-foot home run to help the American League win the MLB All-Star Game over the National League 5-2 from Denver’s Coors Field on Tuesday.
American League East players were responsible for all five runs and RBI.
Otherwise, Blue Jays shortstop Marcus Semien opened the scoring with a second-inning RBI single, scoring New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
In the fifth, Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez hit a leadoff double and later scored off a Guerrero RBI groundout.
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Everything you need to know about Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the rookie who may just save the Blue Jays
Blue Jays fans have a new obsession, and his name is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Whatever you call him—“Vlad,” “Vladdy”, “Vladito,” “The Chosen One”—Guerrero, 20, is the consensus top prospect in all of baseball. After four seasons in the minors, the Blue Jays finally called him up to the big leagues on Wednesday. He’ll finally grace the turf at Rogers Centre tomorrow, in what has become a ridiculously anticipated debut.
Here’s what we know about one of the franchise’s most exciting young names.
He comes from baseball royalty
Vladdy’s father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., was a talented player in his own right. A Hall-of-Famer who played eight seasons with the Montreal Expos, the elder Guerrero was best known for his uncanny ability to hit terrible pitches for home runs. He’s the 40th-place all-time home-run hitter, with 449 to his credit—not a bad person to have as your mentor.
Vlad Jr. undoubtedly learned loads by growing up around baseball. Reporters are already noticing his professionalism and acumen.
A post shared by VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR (@vladdyjr27) on
He has a sense of humour
Like any 20-year-old, Guerrero likes to joke around. Last year, he pranked Blue Jays fans by posting an Instagram shot of himself at New York’s JFK Airport—the same airport the team had flown into just hours earlier, leading many Jays fans to believe that he’d been called up. He had actually taken that picture a year earlier. Good one, Vlad.
Ok, after literally scrolling it seems Vlad posted the same picture on Insta today that he did in December. pic.twitter.com/FjdDHWrGU6
— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) May 14, 2018
He’s a really, really good hitter
The word “phenomenal” doesn’t really do Vladimir Guerrero Jr. justice. Vladdy destroyed minor-league pitching, launching 20 home runs in 95 games last season.
He was named Baseball America’s best prospect two years in a row. MLB.com surveyed some scouts who think Vlad Jr. probably ranks among the best offensive prospects of all time, and Fangraphs thinks his stats to date are as promising as those of elite talents like Mike Trout and Kris Bryant.
He’s got Canadian roots
Vlad Jr. was born in Montreal, meaning he has Canadian citizenship. Although he was raised in the Dominican Republic, he’s deeply rooted in Canada. Guerrero’s mother was born in Montreal and speaks fluent French.
In one of 2018’s best moments, he hit a walk-off home run in spring training while the Blue Jays were playing an exhibition game in Montreal, just like his father did on many occasions while playing with the Expos:
He’s what’s next for the team
Though fellow prospects Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio (also sons of former big-leaguers) are poised to be important players for the Blue Jays over the next few seasons, Guerrero is the future. In a team-oriented sport like baseball, catalysts, especially offensive ones, are vital to achieving long-term success. That’s the hope for Guerrero: that he’ll become the energy source for a revitalized lineup with enough talent and motivation to help the team regain some of the success it enjoyed at the end of the Bautista era.
