Vladimir Guerrero Jr. provides literally perfect ending in Montreal

MONTREAL — When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stepped up to the plate for the last time on Tuesday night in Montreal, he walked into a scene too perfect to be real.

Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. 0-0 ballgame. An entire city on its feet and firmly behind him. A city that had quite literally watched him grow from a small child into one of the game’s finest young talents. A city that was the birthplace of his father’s Hall of Fame career.

As a scene of a movie it might have felt contrived. Too many stars aligning, not realistic enough. In this baseball game, it was perfect.

“I didn’t feel like it was just the crowd here,” Guerrero said. “I felt like the whole world was pulling for me.”

When he came to the plate the crowd rose to attention, filling the oversized stadium with a thunder that belied the low stakes and uninspiring attendance.

The first pitch was innocuous enough, a fastball high for a ball. The second was a slider generously left up in the zone by Jack Flaherty and Guerrero demolished it. The ball cleared the fence in left centre and pandemonium erupted. Game over.

Technically speaking, the hit meant nothing. This was an exhibition game played between non-rivals. But you could have fooled the thousands in attendance who roared their approval — and Guerrero’s teammates. Fellow top prospect Bo Bichette jumped up and down in the on-deck circle willing the ball to clear the fence, and when it did he led the charge of Blue Jays swarming to meet the conquering hero at home plate.

“Everyone was jumping for joy, ecstatic. There was an incredible lift of energy that went through the roof,” Montreal native Russell Martin said of the scene. “I’m surprised the roof is still on the stadium. That was incredible.”

After the club founds its way into the dugout once more, Guerrero popped back onto the field for the rarely-seen exhibition curtain call.

“That was justified,” said Martin. “He gave the fans what they wanted. They wanted to see something special from the kid and he delivered.”

Not every Blue Jay shares the catcher’s link to Montreal, but the significance of the moment eluded no one.

“Every now and then in this game you’ll see something like that, something dramatic happens,” manager John Gibbons said. “He was a toddler running around this place when his daddy was here, and I guarantee his dad did that a few times. Everything just lined up perfectly.”

To say Vladimir Guerrero Sr. did that “a few times” was something of an understatement, and Junior was confident his father would be proud of him following in those footsteps.

“I’m pretty sure he’s very proud,” he said. “We always talk and he always cheers for me, so I’m sure he’s going to say great things.”

Looks like youngster was right on the money.

Generally speaking, it doesn’t get better than that. For a player as talented as Guerrero, though, it probably will.