Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. appeared in his first MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night. He made the most of the opportunity, too. Guerrero recorded a historic home run, won the game’s Most Valuable Player Award, and had some fun along the way.
Guerrero’s home run, the 200th in All-Star Game history, was launched in the third inning against Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes. The blast, which put the American League up 2-0, left the bat traveling at 110.2 mph and carried some 468 feet, according to Statcast.
Take a look for yourself at the beautiful footage:
The voters deemed that enough to award him the game MVP designation after the American League won by a 5-2 margin. Guerrero, 22, is the youngest player to ever win All-Star Game MVP honors.
Guerrero’s home run also made him the second youngest player to ever leave the park during an All-Star Game. He’s 22 years, 119 days old, whereas longtime Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench was 21 years, 228 days old when he hit a home run back in the 1969 Midsummer Classic, according to MLB Stats.
For all the attention the home run is certain to get, Guerrero had a few other notable moments on the night. In the first inning, he hit a rocket past Max Scherzer that cut a little close for comfort. Guerrero, taking advantage of the relaxed environment offered by the All-Star Game, then gave Scherzer a hug on his way back to the dugout, as if to say, “my bad, guy.”
We’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight one other aspect of Guerrero’s night: his fielding glove. You can take a look below, but it features an image of him as a child alongside his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., with both decked out in Montreal Expos uniforms:
Speaking of Guerrero’s father, Vladimir Sr. homered in one All-Star Game during his illustrious career, with that bomb coming in the 2006 Midsummer Classic off Brad Penny. The Guerreros are the third father-son combo to homer in the All-Star Game, joining Bobby and Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
