After 150 games and a season of baffling struggles at his home ballpark, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally sent a ball over the fence at Rogers Centre on September 13, 2026. This wasn’t just another long ball; it was the Blue Jays slugger’s *first* home run at home all year, a monstrous blast against the Baltimore Orioles that everyone in Toronto had been desperate to see.
The Home Curse Is Broken, Seriously
Can you even believe it? Vladdy Jr. went 67 games at home without a single ding dong. Sixty-seven games! That’s more than half a season of playing in front of your own fans and not delivering that signature pop we all know he’s capable of. It was truly one of the most perplexing streaks in MLB this season. Meanwhile, he was out there on the road, racking up eight homers in his 67 away games coming into Sunday. The disparity was absolutely wild to watch unfold, leaving fans scratching their heads. Keegan Matheson from MLB.com captured the moment, tweeting, “He’s done it. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., in the 150th game of the season, has his 1st home run at Rogers Centre. He watched every second of it before he took a step.” You know he soaked that in. Every single second of that ball flying out of the park. Pure relief.
A Season of Struggle, A Moment of Redemption
This whole year has been a grind for Guerrero, no doubt about it. He’s really struggled to be a positive contributor offensively, with his season-long numbers sitting well below what we expect from a guy with his talent. We’re talking 1.0 bWAR, only eight total homers before this Sunday, a .259 batting average, and a career-worst .683 OPS in 134 games coming into the matchup. Seriously, his OPS has never dipped below .772 before this season. That home run drought wasn’t just a quirky stat; it was a symptom of a much bigger battle at the plate. If he hadn’t hit that homer, he would’ve gone down in MLB history for all the wrong reasons, setting an unfortunate record no player ever wants next to their name. With only six more games left on the schedule after Sunday,three against the Detroit Tigers and three against the Cincinnati Reds to close out the season,the pressure to avoid that historical footnote was absolutely crushing.
What’s Next for Toronto?
But those worries are gone now. Vladdy Jr. cleared the fence, ended one of the more perplexing streaks in MLB this season, and gave Blue Jays fans a reason to cheer a little louder, as his team is sitting just 1.0 game back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Wild Card race. Every swing and game matters for Toronto. You have to wonder if this huge, drought-ending blast is the spark he, and the Blue Jays, needed to really kick things into gear for this crucial final stretch of the season. What a moment to finally break through and remind everyone what he can do!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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