This photo sums up everything for the Blue Jays after devastating World Series loss

After a truly gutting Game 7 loss, in a game with plenty of chances to secure the title, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the last to leave the dugout, reflecting on the magical season that didn't include the outcome he deserved.

From start to finish, Vladdy deserved more than a second place finish, as he was the star of the postseason by far while making history too. Not only was he phenomenal for the Jays, but he delivered one of the best postseason runs in of all time.

By the end of it all, he finished with a slashline of .344/.444/.667 and an 1.111 OPS with eight homers while capturing the ALCS MVP along the way. Although he didn't have as dominant of a Game 7 as he grew accustomed to in this years postseason, he almost had his signiture moment in the bottom of the ninth with none out.

What looked like a sure homer off of the bat, Vladdy popped out to deep centre field. The ball flew off of his bat at a 101 mph exit velocity with a towering launch angle of 32 degrees. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays young leader, this wasn't enough, and the game went to extras a couple outs later.

The 26-year-old stepped up as a leader this year, making the heartbreaker even more devestating for him. He has shown the baseball world that he sets the tone in the clubhouse, defensively, and with the bat, truly turning him into the franchise leader that everyone dreamed of when he was a young prospect back in 2019.

It's worth mentioning that there are not many instances where players that are this touted as a prospect actually pan out the way he has. All throughout the postseason, he has risen to every single occasion, dating back to a few weeks ago when he crushed that ALDS grand slam versus the Yankees, marking it as the first postseason grand slam in franchise history.

Prior to Game 6, Teoscar Hernandez spoke about his friend and former Toronto Blue Jays teammate, reflecting on how he’s grown into a true leader in the clubhouse since his time in Toronto. "The only difference I see in him now is that he understands he has to be the leader of that group. He knows the team will follow him because everyone’s seen him that way since his first day in the league. I always told him he’s the face of that organization and has to lead that group.”

It’s those very qualities Hernández spoke of that truly stood out after the loss, the accountability, maturity, and heart that have come to define his evolution as a leader. A heartfelt Vladdy, moments after the toughest loss of his life, shared some words with the media via his translater. "I got to be very thankful, very grateful for our fans, for the city... I'm sorry, because we couldn't give that title that we know the entire city wants."

This group genuinely enjoyed one another while being proud of what they accomplished, although gutted at the same time. It appeared that many postgame tears were shed, including their franchise man and leader who will be around for another 14 years, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.