Vlad Jr.'s playoff breakout fuels Jays past Yanks

TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s playoff vocation earlier Saturday was not befitting a $500 cardinal franchise cornerstone. The Toronto Blue Jays archetypal baseman managed conscionable 3 hits successful 25 sheet appearances and didn't deed a shot implicit the obstruction crossed six games. More important, the six games, divided into two-game slices implicit 3 postseasons, were each Blue Jays losses.

That each flipped successful a 10-1 triumph implicit against the Yankees, the franchise helium has agelong openly despised, successful Game 1 of the American League Division Series connected Saturday.

Starring successful beforehand of a raucous Rogers Centre assemblage bare for playoff baseball, Guerrero delivered an all-around session successful the Blue Jays' archetypal playoff triumph since Game 4 of the 2016 AL Championship Series with a diving drawback and 3 hits to substance an violative explosion.

"He's the look of our franchise and a large crushed wherefore we go, a large portion of wherefore we're here," Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman said. "So it's been bully to spot him person the nighttime that helium had."

At the plate, Guerrero swatted his archetypal vocation postseason location tally and finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a tally scored to substance an discourtesy that pounded 14 hits, including 3 location runs and 3 doubles. Defensively, his diving drawback of Ryan McMahon's lineout astatine archetypal basal -- portion a bat shard whizzed by him -- initiated an inning-ending treble play successful the second.

Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk complemented Guerrero's effort with his archetypal 2 vocation postseason location runs. Right fielder Nathan Lukes contributed 2 hits, including a two-run double, with 3 RBIs and a diving drawback down the right-field line. Shortstop Andres Gimenez went 2-for-4 arsenic the Blue Jays chased Gil aft 2⅔ innings and forced the Yankees to usage six pitchers.

"I deliberation having him get the scoring going, the treble play astatine archetypal with McMahon, it's nice," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Guerrero. "It gives you a small spot of a jolt due to the fact that it's Vlad and what helium means to this team."

Guerrero did not discarded clip successful providing that energy, swatting a 90 mph changeup from Luis Gil successful the archetypal inning to springiness the Blue Jays a pb they wouldn't relinquish. He added singles successful the 2nd and eighth innings and a sacrifice alert successful the Blue Jays' game-busting four-run seventh, igniting the sellout assemblage connected a gorgeous time successful Ontario with the building's extortion open.

That it happened against the Yankees was fitting. Guerrero's dislike of the Yankees, helium has said, dates backmost to 2 incidents implicit 2 decades ago: The Yankees pulling a declaration connection for his father, a Hall of Fame outfielder, successful 2003 and Yankee Stadium information telling his begetter to instrumentality him disconnected the tract erstwhile helium was a boy.

"For me, I bring the aforesaid vigor each crippled careless who I'm playing, particularly present successful the playoffs," Guerrero said. "That's each I've got connected my caput is to spell retired determination and play hard."

Whatever his motivation, the five-time All-Star has enjoyed facing the Yankees during his seven-year career. Entering Saturday's matchup -- the archetypal ever betwixt the 2 clubs successful the postseason -- Guerrero was batting .302 with 22 location runs and a .918 OPS successful 102 vocation games other the Yankees.

He improved those gaudy numbers connected Saturday, adding different item reel to a twelvemonth that began with him committing to Toronto with a 14-year, $500 cardinal declaration hold successful April and that helium hopes ends with the franchise's archetypal title since 1993 aboriginal this month.

"For me, my extremity ever is to triumph a World Series, to bring the World Series here," Guerrero said. "My father, he...