Vlad Jr. hoping to get mojo back as 'king of New York'

DETROIT -- The last time we saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in New York, he was drenched.

Champagne and beer were pooled three inches deep on the plastic-covered floors of the Yankees’ visiting clubhouse after Vladdy and the Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees in the ALDS. Guerrero danced in the middle of it all. The man owns New York, and after nine hits and three home runs in four games, he’d done it again.

“DAAA Yankees lose!” Guerrero shouted with David Ortiz, tag-teaming Big Papi’s trademark phrase on the postgame show. Soon after, the Blue Jays played Aaron Judge’s walkup song in the middle of their celebration -- Pop Smoke’s “Hello” -- and the cameras caught Guerrero rapping along at the perfect time, his face still dripping and ski goggles on his head.

“I’m the king of New York,” the song goes.

These trips to New York just do something to Guerrero, but this time, it feels like he needs it. Whatever’s in that New York air and whatever pregame meal they’re serving in the visitor’s clubhouse, Guerrero needs to taste it again. He finally homered in Sunday’s 4-1 win against the Tigers, a welcome sight after weeks of slumping, but this trip to New York could launch Guerrero back to his peak. That’s the version the Blue Jays need again to drag them out of this 21-25 start.

Guerrero Jr. in 2026:

• 46 games played
• 3 home runs
• .286 average
• .754 OPS

Guerrero Jr. at Yankee Stadium (regular season):

• 48 games played
• 16 home runs
• .308 average
• 1.002 OPS

Guerrero versus the Yankees is the closest thing the Blue Jays have to a true rivalry these past few years, because in a true rivalry, there needs to be a little bit of bad blood. Just wait for the boos the first time Guerrero steps to the plate.

This goes back years for Guerrero, who once said that he would never play for the Yankees, “not even dead.” That didn’t sit well in a city used to being at the top of every list.

Guerrero played this masterfully throughout the ALDS, too. Every single day of that series, New York media asked Guerrero about the added motivation from playing against the mighty Yankees, and understandably so, because this beef isn’t new. Guerrero dodged every one, never wanting to give anyone else the satisfaction or feed the narrative. Watching him in the clubhouse after clinching the series in Game 4, though, you could see the truth.

Vladdy is still searching for that, but he and the Blue Jays hope that Sunday’s home run, just his third of the season, can be a launching pad. His frustrations have shown on the field for the past few weeks, including a bat snapped over his knee this weekend in Detroit, but he’s still himself off it. After Saturday’s win, Guerrero crept into the back of Spencer Miles’ media scrum to ask the rookie reliever, “What’s it like to play with Vladdy?” before scampering away laughing.

Expectations are sky high, though, and with the Blue Jays off to a poor start, the spotlight on Guerrero is scorching hot.

“The only difference is that, right now, everyone relies on him a little more,” Schneider said. “I think he understands that. He’s the same and he’s always been pretty even-keeled because he expects a lot out of himself, even at a young age in the Minor Leagues or as a rookie. He’s good, but I think he understands the magnitude of who he is now even more for this organization. I think that probably weighs on him a little bit.”

It’s clear that Guerrero is a rhythm-and-timing hitter, and when that’s the case, the lows can look awfully disjointed. When it does click, it tends to lock in and stay there for weeks or months. Everyone around him keeps saying the same thing – that it will just take one game, even one swing.

Sunday’s home run, a screeching line drive that carried just enough, was a start. It’s still not “the one big swing” Guerrero is looking for, though. He wants to feel something undeniable off the bat.

"One that, as soon as I connect, I know it's going to go, so I can stay at home plate and watch it,” Guerrero said.

Where better to stand and watch? Where better to turn one swing into the turning point of a season? There’s just something about New York.