Junior passes Senior with 45th homer.
That homer hit on September 14 gave Guerrero Jr. sole possession (at the time) of the 2021 AL HR derby, and it also pushed him past his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who hit 44 home runs in 2000.
With an additional dinger since then, Junior is currently tied for the league lead with the Royals Salvador Perez. Perez has a record to his name, too–the most home runs hit by a catcher in a single MLB season.
While Guerrero Jr. continues to dazzle fans with his raw power and undeniable charisma–cementing himself as the face of the Blue Jays franchise for the foreseeable future–there is still more at stake as the ’21 regular season draws to a close.
Individually, Guerrero Jr. is still within striking distance of earning the Triple Crown, and the Jays have a crucial series beginning tonight against the New York Yankees. The outcome of the series may determine which team, if either, will earn a Wildcard spot. Going into the three-game road series, the Yankees have a game in hand, while Toronto is one game behind. Guerrero Jr’s heavy bat is critical to the Jays’ chances.
But no matter how the regular season turns out, Guerrero Jr. is definitely in the hunt along with two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani to be named AL MVP. The bigger reward—making dad proud—is already in the can.
