Vladimir Guerrero Jr.‘s power numbers have been below expectations this season, but he’s starting to show signs of being closer to his best self.
The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman crushed a baseball over the Green Monster on Monday in the seventh inning for the third-longest home run in the Statcast era (which started in 2015) at Fenway Park.
The three-run blast, off reliever Isaiah Campbell, measured 471 feet and was the longest of Guerrero’s career. As Sportsnet play-by-play man Dan Shulman said on the broadcast, the ball “disappeared into the Boston night.”
Boston baseball reporter Jared Carrabis reported the ball landed on the roof at the far end of a parking lot across the street from the famous ballpark.
Sarah Langs of MLB.com reported the shot tied for the second-longest home run for a Blue Jay in the statcast era with Randal Grichuk and Edwin Encarnacion, three feet shorter than the team record of 474 feet by Justin Smoak on Canada Day 2015 against the Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Smoak’s shot went into the fourth deck in left field.
Guerrero’s latest homer also was an important tater — capping a five-run inning that gave the Jays a 6-2 lead on the Boston Red Sox.
Guerrero now has three homers in his last four games to give him 10 on the season. It’s a far cry from the pace of his 48-homer 2021 season, but it’s a step in the right direction for the Dominican native.
