Vladdy Finally Goes Deep in Toronto — And Somehow the Blue Jays Are Still in the Playoff Race

It took almost the entire season, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally gave Toronto the home run it had been waiting for.

And perhaps more importantly, the Toronto Blue Jays are still alive.

Guerrero hit his first home run at Rogers Centre of the entire 2026 regular season on Sunday, helping the Blue Jays crush the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 and win an important series between two teams fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Vladdy had gone the entire season without hitting a home run at home.

His long-awaited blast finally arrived during Toronto’s 75th home game of the season, when Guerrero connected off Baltimore pitcher Trevor Rogers in the fifth inning and sent the ball into the left-field bullpen.

The reaction inside Rogers Centre told you everything.

More than 41,000 fans celebrated, Guerrero put on the Blue Jays’ home-run blazer and chants of “Vladdy” eventually brought him back out of the dugout for a curtain call.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider joked afterward that his teammates celebrated as though Guerrero had just hit a walk-off home run.

Considering everything that has happened this season, it almost felt like one.

Guerrero finished the afternoon 4-for-5 and nearly homered earlier in the game when he drove a ball off the wall for a double.

His actual home run became part of an even bigger moment.

George Springer, Guerrero and Japanese rookie Kazuma Okamoto went back-to-back-to-back in the fifth inning, the first time the Blue Jays had hit three consecutive home runs in 14 years.

Okamoto’s blast was his 32nd of the season and helped him establish a new Blue Jays rookie record with 85 RBI.

But all eyes were understandably on Vladdy.

The 2026 season has been an incredibly frustrating one for the Dominican-Canadian superstar.

After signing a massive 14-year, $500-million contract and helping lead Toronto all the way to Game 7 of the World Series last year, expectations couldn’t have been much higher.

Instead, Guerrero has struggled to reproduce his usual power.

Sunday’s homer was only his ninth of the season, a dramatic drop for a player who had averaged nearly 32 home runs per year over the previous five seasons.

But here’s where things suddenly get interesting.

The Blue Jays aren’t dead yet.

Sunday’s victory brought Toronto back to .500 with a 75-75 record and, more importantly, kept them just one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the race for the final American League Wild Card position.

There are only 12 games remaining.

That means the math is simple: Toronto doesn’t have much room left for mistakes, but there is absolutely still a path to October.

The Blue Jays have also won six of their last 10 games, and Sunday’s victory gave them a 6-4 season-series advantage over Baltimore — something that could become important in a potential playoff tiebreaker.

Toronto now begins a three-game series at Rogers Centre against the Detroit Tigers.

If the Jays can get hot at exactly the right time, what looked like a disappointing season could suddenly become something very different.

And there’s another reason for optimism.

Trey Yesavage, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since July, threw a bullpen session Sunday and is expected to begin a rehab assignment this week. A return during the final week of the regular season remains possible.

None of this means Toronto is guaranteed to make the playoffs.

Far from it.

They’re chasing Cleveland, they’re sitting at .500, and every game from this point forward carries enormous weight.

But after coming within one victory of winning the World Series last season, the Blue Jays aren’t ready for their 2026 story to end just yet.

And maybe — just maybe — Vladdy’s first home run in Toronto was the spark they needed.

Twelve games.

One game out of a playoff spot.

October is still within reach.