Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was sporting a fresh new hairdo when he took to the field for batting practice ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
The familiar dreadlocks Guerrero Jr. had been rocking since he made his major-league debut were no more and sure enough, that ties into why he decided to get them cut.
Guerrero Jr. told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae he made a promise to himself that he would mark his five years in the big leagues by cutting his hair.
It might seem like it was yesterday, but it has been five years since Guerrero Jr. joined The Show. Actually, it’s been over five years as Guerrero Jr. made his debut at age 20 on April 26, 2019.
Wednesday was also special for Guerrero Jr. as he caught the ceremonial first pitch from his six-year-old daughter, Vlaimel.
The new look drew some interesting observations from the Blue Jays.
According to Mae, teammate Justin Turner referred to Guerrrero Jr. as “Carlos Santana” due to his resemblance to the Minnesota Twins first baseman while former Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion said, “Who’s that?”
The new look didn’t help Guerrero Jr. at the plate against the Red Sox, however. He struck out in his first at-bat and finished the game batting 1-for-5 with a single to deep left field during the bottom of the seventh inning.
Guerrero Jr. also committed an error — his fourth of the season and the Blue Jays’ fourth of the game — during the top of the eighth as he mishandled a ground ball, allowing David Hamilton to reach base and Dominic Smith to score.
The Blue Jays lost 7-3 and were swept for the first time this season.
Guerrero Jr. is batting .280 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs this year. The three-time all-star is currently leading in voting among American League first basemen for the July mid-summer classic.
Toronto (35-39) has a day before opening a three-game series on the road against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.