Blue Jays Superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Once Again Set the Tone Against Yankees
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It seems clear by now that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doesn't like the New York Yankees.
While the tone and rhetoric of the Toronto Blue Jays superstar might be dialed down now compared to what it was a few years ago when he said he "loves crushing Yankee fans and the Yankees" and even stated, "I like to kill the Yankees," there's no doubt the animosity is still there.
Saturday was the latest example of Guerrero doing what he can to stick it to his division rivals, with the highest-paid player in American League history getting things started with a first-inning home run that gave the Blue Jays a lead they never relinquished.
VLADDY GETS US STARTED 💥
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 4, 2025
His FIRST Postseason #PLAKATA! pic.twitter.com/3cEC3WCeE0
It was the last example of Toronto having their superstar set the tone for this team, as their best player once again met the moment and allowed the Blue Jays to secure their first postseason win in almost 10 years.
"There was a little bit of a different feel about Vlad today," manager John Schneider said after the game, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
Whether that was because he was playing New York or because he knew Toronto had to take Game 1 on their home field and set themselves up for success in this best-of-five series, Guerrero stepped up when his team needed him. And while that seems like a common thing for someone who has been so elite throughout his career, that hasn't been the case for him in the playoffs.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Has Breakout Postseason Performance
October had been a fairly quiet month for the superstar slugger coming into this matchup.
Across three playoff appearances and six games, he had gone 3-for-22 with no home runs, one extra-base hit, one RBI, two walks with another being intentional and five strikeouts. All of those came in two-game sweeps, as the Blue Jays couldn't find any success when they made the postseason.
But Guerrero put those past issues behind him this time around, as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and no strikeouts to virtually surpass everything he had done in the previous three appearances in one game this year.
"I just talked to myself like, 'You know what, I'm just going to be myself,'" he said, per Matheson. "I'm just going to go out there, give all I have, and just enjoy the game."
Being himself worked in Game 1, and it now gives the Blue Jays a great chance to advance to the American League Championship Series based on statistics. According to Matheson, Game 1 winners in best-of-five series have gone on to win 72.4% of the time, while the current 2-2-1 format in the Division Series has seen the Game 1 home team advancing 40 of 54 times (74.1%) when they win.
Now thanks to the tone setting of Guerrero, Toronto is in a prime position to add their name to that list as they look to go on a deep playoff run.
