TORONTO — There’s no time for sparks: the Blue Jays need a flamethrower.
Guerrero continued his hot streak that has coincided with the Blue Jays’ offensive resurgence, scoring six RBI and coming within three bases of the cycle in a 9-3 win over the Yankees on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
With more than half of the opening and closing season schedule now complete, Toronto needs a healthy winning streak to escape the bottom of the American League East, and Vladimir is still the guy who can make it all happen.
“Every day I feel like I have to do something for the team,” Guerrero said in Spanish. “For me, it’s more personal than seeing myself as a leader.”
Guerrero was a big contributor on Saturday, blasting a two-run homer in the first inning that Statcast projected would fly 403 feet in the opposite direction. It was Guerrero’s third consecutive home run and sixth in his last eight games, and his sixth consecutive game with multiple RBIs, tying a franchise record.
“He’s in great form,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells said, “and when you’re game-planning against some of the best hitters in the league, you just hope you can find a spot where he’s not paying attention.”
There aren’t many places like that these days.
Just look at Guerrero’s three-run double, which capped a five-run sixth inning and dramatically changed the course of the game. With the bases loaded, two outs and an 0-2 count, Guerrero did a great job of imitating his father, reaching out and making contact with a curveball that nearly bounced in front of home plate.
Guerrero got even better with a one-run single in the eighth inning. You can never be too careful against the Yankees.
“The ball is round,” Guerrero said, “and they can run at any time, just like us.”
Guerrero applied the same principle when things went wrong.
Guerrero’s well-publicized early season slump — he hit .219 with a .629 OPS in April — seems to be behind him, as his hitting returned last month and he closed out June with a flurry of home runs.
This version of Guerrero feels more authentic, perhaps because there’s no better stage for his personality to shine.
“He’s calm and he’s confident,” coach John Schneider said, “and when you put that in the context of his skill set, I think that’s what you see.”
It’s the long look he takes before leaving the batter’s box, the stepping back between second and third base, the “shhh” gesture he makes as he trots to home plate: as his teammates cheer and the crowd roars, his hand gestures read as “this is my home.”
The great Vladimir is a confident Vladimir, and that confidence can be contagious.
“He’s our pilot,” Isaiah Kinner-Falefa said. “We’ll go as far as he wants to go. He leads the team and he’s doing a great job. Hopefully we’ll all start meshing well at the same time.”
There is reason to believe that.
Kiner-Falefa had four hits, extending his hitting streak to 13, while George Springer continued his strong game with two doubles and a walk.
That kind of production has been blips this season, but it hasn’t disappeared entirely. Sustaining it will be a challenge for the Blue Jays, a particularly frustrating reality when their starting pitcher is as good as Chris Bassitt.
The right-hander had a hero’s moment Saturday when he was hit in the arm by Aaron Judge’s 101.6 mph comeback pitch in the first inning. Schneider and trainer Jose Ministral sprinted from the dugout, but Bassitt was able to convince the manager it was OK for him to stay in the game.
“I knew right away I was OK to stay in the game,” Bassitt said, “but I just wasn’t confident about the next innings.”
Bassitt was good in the next inning and the one after that, giving the Blue Jays their ninth quality start of the season, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run over six innings and earning their first win since June 2.
Was it fortunate to finally get some scoring help after that scary first-inning moment?
“I’m really happy that their hard work is paying off,” Bassitt said. “They’ve put in a lot of work so far this year in the right direction and it hasn’t paid off for a long time. It feels like it’s finally paying off. I’m really happy that they’re getting the results they’ve earned for their hard work.”
