Guerrero Jr. delivers heroics in dad’s old stomping grounds
Toronto’s top prospect hits walk-off homer to power Blue Jays over Cardinals 1-0 in Montreal
MONTREAL — It was the scenario everyone wanted — the Olympic Stadium crowd, the Toronto Blue Jays and their blue-chip prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
And the son of Montreal Expos legend Vladimir Guerrero came through in style.
The 19-year-old got the last at-bat of the game with two out in the bottom of the ninth and hammered a hanging slider from Jack Flaherty over the left-centre field wall to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
The throng of 25,816 went bananas and called the youngster out for a curtain call.
“Usually at the end of this game, everyone’s ready to get out of here,” manager John Gibbons said as the Blue Jays ended their pre-season schedule. “We came in and the guys were celebrating with him.
“You don’t see many celebrations in spring training games. That was pretty neat.”
The Montreal fans had given Guerrero Jr. a standing ovation just for taking the field at third base during a 5-3 loss to St. Louis on Monday night.
They remember the many home runs, stolen bases and amazing outfield catches his father made in the same stadium from the late 1990s until he left in 2002 — two years before the Expos moved to Washington D.C. Vladimir Sr. is headed to the baseball Hall of Fame this summer.
Vlad Jr. ’s patient at the plate where his father was the ultimate free swinger. But perhaps a cool head and a flair for the dramatic are hereditary.