Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has held a grudge against the New York Yankees since childhood. Now he’s headed to the ALCS after leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a series victory over his hated rival.
The Blue Jays superstar could not help but have some fun at the expense of the New York Yankees.
Guerrero put up monster numbers for the Blue Jays as they knocked off the Yankees in four games over their ALDS series. Guerrero went 9-for-17 over those four games, belting three home runs and knocking in nine runs, while posting a slash line of .529/.550/1.059.
After going 3-for-5 with a home run as the Blue Jays took Game 2, and going 2-for-4 with another home run in a Game 3 loss, Guerrero started the scoring for Toronto with this single in the first inning that brought George Springer to the plate:
Toronto went on to win 5-2, booking a spot in the ALCS for the first time since 2016, and that is when the fun began. First Guerrero was spotted strutting around the visitor’s locker room at Yankee Stadium, part of an incredible bit of camera work from FOX Sports:
Then he joined David Ortiz as the two mocked John Sterling’s legendary post-game call:
Or perhaps Guerrero was mocking Ortiz’s long-time mocking of the catchphrase from the legendary Yankees radio announcer. Your mileage may vary. Either way, former Yankees Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were forced to watch …
Guerrero has a history of trolling the Yankees. This quote from 2022 stands the test of time:
Here’s more from that interview, via MLB.com
Guerrero said that his favorite city to play in outside of Canada was New York, but that’s only because he loves “[crushing] ‘Los Yanquistas’ (Yankees fans) and the Yankees.” When asked if he’d ever play for the Yankees at that time, Guerrero replied, “No, not even dead.”
“It’s a personal thing. It goes back with my family,” Guerrero said through a club interpreter. “That’s my decision, and I will never change that.”
Vlad Jr. once said his grudge against the Yankees goes back to when his father was an opposing player. Guerrero said he was kicked out of Yankee Stadium as a child while playing on the field with other kids when a staffer told him he couldn’t be there. The Yankees also almost signed his father before reneging at the last moment to sign Gary Sheffield instead.
Guerrero was not the only member of the Blue Jays to poke some fun at Yankees traditions. During the locker room celebration manager John Schneider’s … colorful comments ended with “start spreading the news,” a reference to the Frank Sinatra song “New York, New York,” the classic song that blares at Yankee Stadium after a New York win.
As this is a family website, please place earmuffs on any children in the room before playing this clip:
Start spreading the news, Guerrero and the Blue Jays are headed to the ACLS.
