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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gets his revenge as Blue Jays eliminate Yankees

September 5, 2025; Bronx, New York, United States; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) puts the home run jacket on first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after Guerrero hits a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Note to the New York Yankees: be nicer to the kids.

Especially if they are named after their father.

Ken Griffey Jr. once said he would never sign with the Yankees and would retire if they were the only team to offer him a contract.

Reportedly, when “The Kid” was still a year old and his father was playing in New York, a security guard kicked him out of the dugout while allowing Graig Nettles’ son to stay on the field taking grounders.

Griffey Jr. never forgot this affront. In the 1995 American League Division Series against New York, Griffey Jr. hit five home runs and scored the winning run from first base in the 11th inning of Game 5 on what Seattle Mariners fans still call Edgar Martinez’s “double.”

A few years later, the Yankees kicked a young Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the field.

It seems safe to say that the Toronto Blue Jays star still holds a grudge against him. After all, when asked early in his career if he would ever sign with the Bronx Bombers, Vladdy Jr. replied, “No, not even dead.”

Guerrero Jr. hit .529 with three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.609 on-base-plus-slugging percentage as the Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees in four games. The winner won 5-2 on Wednesday, 30 years to the day after Griffey Jr. ran around the bases.

Guerrero Jr. joined the Fox Sports postgame show from the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and, as his teammates poured beer over his head, he shouted “DAAA YANKEES LOSE!” » mocking former New York broadcaster John Sterling’s signature call.

“For me, it’s one pitch at a time, one hit at a time,” Guerrero Jr. said. “When you believe in your teammates and in God, everything happens. I put this year in God’s hands, and thank God we won this series.”

The top-seeded Blue Jays will return home and await the winner of the Detroit-Seattle matchup in the AL Championship Series. The Tigers avoided elimination on Wednesday, overcoming a three-run deficit to defeat the visiting Mariners 9-3.

The Tigers will send ace Tarik Skubal to the mound Friday in the deciding Game 5 in Seattle.

“Sitting in my chair, one of the easiest things to do and one of the most exciting things to do is hand the ball to the best pitcher in baseball,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said.

This does not mean that it provides any guarantees.

The Mariners beat Skubal, a former Seattle University star, twice during the regular season.

Skubal didn’t get a decision in Game 2 despite seven strong innings in a game Seattle ultimately won 3-2.

“I’ll let you create the narrative,” Skubal told reporters. “I’m just going to do what I do best, which is play baseball and make pitches. The game is still the game. I’ll let you write the stories and do your job, but you won’t get anything from me.”

In the National League, the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies avoided sweeps on Wednesday. The Phillies beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 behind two Kyle Schwarber homers and the host Cubs scored four runs in the first inning and held on to edge Milwaukee 4-3.

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