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In his first extended playoff run, Vlad Guerrero Jr. is vying to become the Blue Jays' version of Mr. October.
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Vlad's red-hot bat not only gave the $500 million American Jays another hit of postseason power Thursday night in Seattle, but also set the franchise record for homers in a single playoff year.
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The star first baseman suddenly rediscovered the hitting component of his game, hitting his fifth home run of these playoffs, a seventh-inning solo shot that gave the Jays a 6-2 lead in Game 4 of the ALCS.
The homer, which hit the wall in right-center, followed a 4-for-4 hit the night before in the Jays' 13-4 Game 3 win over the Mariners. In that game, Vlad just missed the cycle with a homer, two doubles and a single.
The five home runs eclipse the Jays' playoff record of four, set by Jose Bautista in 2015.
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Heading into Thursday's game, Guerrero was slashing .464/.515/.964 with six extra base hits, 10 RBIs and four walks. He gets a lot of offensive support, but Guerrero's blistering pace borders on something special, especially after an inconsistent regular season punctuated by a lackluster September.
To Guerrero's credit, he never let his scoring struggles during the regular season get to him, arguing that if he could find an approach and some lasting confidence in the game, he could lead the team the way he did in the first eight games of the playoffs.
His arrival is especially important for the Jays considering he had not hit a home run in six postseason appearances before this fall. His round trip Thursday was the Jays' second of the game after Andres Jimenez – the team's No. 9 hitter – hit a double for the second straight game.
The Jace's overall long ball attack was also historic. The 17 points they have scored so far is the most in a single postseason, surpassing the 16 they scored in 1992. Toronto's 58 runs scored is their second-most in a single postseason, trailing only the 71 runs scored in 1993.
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