Vladdy finally breaks through with his best career playoff performance in Game 1 win

Playoff Vladdy has finally arrived. After grinding it out in the Toronto Blue Jays organization since 2019, he’s finally earned his first career playoff win, emerging as the sparkplug of the night while delivering his best performance yet in a Blue Jays uniform.

After going homer-less since September 5, he stepped up in Game 1 of the ALDS and launched his first career home run, a towering bomb that reached 123 feet in height, nearly grazing the CN Tower.

For Vladdy, the face of the franchise, this was easily his marquee moment. The home run came off an inside changeup from Yankees starter Luis Gil. On the second pitch of the at-bat, which ended up being a foul ball, he took one of his most aggressive swings of the season. When Guerrero is taking those aggressive types of swings, swinging freely and with confidence, that’s when he’s the most dangerous.

While the packed Rogers Centre, with a sold-out crowd of 44,655, was chanting Vladdy's name, he made a spectacular defensive play. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. on first, Guerrero extended fully to his right to make a diving catch on a broken-bat flare from Ryan McMahon, then ran back to the bag to double him off to end the frame. As he was jogging off the field after finishing the inning by himself, the crowd continued the “Vladdy! Vladdy! Vladdy!” chants.

He continued his productive day by lining a single off of Paul Blackburn and driving in a run via a sacrifice fly a few innings later, finishing his day going two for three with three RBI. What makes the day especially meaningful for Vladdy is that it comes after a stretch of significant struggles at the plate.

Fittingly, his masterclass in Game 1 came against the Yankees, a team he’s built a reputation for dominating throughout his career and this season especially. In his career versus the Yankees, he's batting .302 with 117 hits, 22 homers, 74 RBI and 48 runs scored in 102 games.

His recent and prolonged woes, though, had many fans losing confidence, heading into his first ALDS. In his last 15 games before the playoffs, he slashed .172/.213/.190 with no home runs and only four RBI.

Per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson Smith, John Schneider said that Guerrero Jr. worked through some mechanical adjustments during the Blue Jays' bye week. He showed some signs during the first intrasquad game that he was coming out of his slump a little, as he drove two balls to the wall for doubles off of Brendan Little and Mason Fluharty.

Games like the one on Saturday serve as a reminder that as Vladdy goes, so does the team. When Guerrero is locked in, swinging freely, flashing his glove, and feeding off the crowd, the energy around the club feels different. If this is the version of Vladdy that shows up for the rest of October, the Blue Jays will follow his lead, and just like that, anything feels possible.