Blue Jays fans give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. mixed reception after apology for viral comments - Toronto Star

Before beating the Reds, Guerrero addressed the controversy related to his $500-million contract after advice from Hall of Fame dad.

 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drives in a run with a broken-bat single in the seventh inning of the Blue Jays’ win over the Cincinnati Reds at the Rogers Centre on Friday night.

As the Blue Jays were preparing to play their final series of the year, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decided it was time to make amends for controversial remarks that went viral  this week.

Guerrero told a Dominican reporter in an interview released Wednesday that the “money (the Jays) gave me wasn’t for what I’m going to do, it was for what I already did.”

The 27-year-old first baseman also appeared to take a shot at Jays fans, saying: “When you are doing great, they are 100 per cent behind you. But when you’re not at your best, not everybody is behind you.”

The comments caused an uproar on social media, especially considering the Rogers Centre has been regularly selling out games despite the Jays trending toward a last-place finish in the American League East.

Guerrero initially responded to the criticism by telling reporters in Baltimore that he did not regret saying what he did. By the time the Jays returned home on Friday for their final three games against the Cincinnati Reds, he was singing a completely different tune.

Toronto Blue Jays all-star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says he’s sorry for comments he made on a baseball podcast in Spanish where he said that his US$500-million contract was for previous performances and not how he’s going to play in the future. Guerrero’s comments came after he has had a disappointing season with a .263 batting average and just nine home runs a year after leading Toronto to the World Series. (Sept. 25, 2026)

“The main reason I’m here is because I regret my comments the other day,” Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron outside the Jays clubhouse prior to Friday’s 6-5 victory. “The main reason is because I feel, from the bottom of my heart, that my fans, my teammates needed an apology from me.”

Guerrero didn’t exactly say what he was apologizing for and sidestepped a question that sought clarification on his original point. Even so, he deserves some credit for handling the situation directly and not letting it fester during the off-season.

He clarified that the comments were not meant to imply he didn’t care about hitting homers, or representative of his work ethic. Those who know him best were already aware of that, but the optics were bad enough that it needed to be said.

He realized that after his Hall of Fame father, longtime Montreal Expos outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, told him he made a mistake and needed to apologize to the fans.

“It has been a disappointing year for me,” the Blue Jay admitted. “I couldn’t help my team more to accomplish our goals, which is hard for me. That’s the main reason I’m here, to apologize to everyone for my comment and knowing that I’m very disappointed about my year.”

Jays fans had a chance to deliver their verdict on Guerrero’s comments and ensuing apology on Friday night. When it was his turn to hit in the first inning, they opted to forgive and at least partially forget.

There were only a few boos when Guerrero stepped to the plate, drowned out by applause. The boos were only slightly louder when he later hit a dribbler in front of the plate for an out. However, the volume did increase after he struck out in the fifth.

Broken bat? No problem ✌️ pic.twitter.com/fEQtXE9UxV

Another section of fans responded to those boos by starting a “Vladdy! Vladdy” during his at-bat in the seventh. They erupted when he drove in a run with a broken-bat single to right field. There was no reaction at all when he grounded out in the eighth. 

In other words, the reception was mixed for a guy who finished the night 1-for-5.

Kazuma Okamoto helped Guerrero and the rest of the lineup by going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Alejandro Kirk and Nathan Lukes chipped in with RBI singles in a winning effort. Starter José Soriano escaped with no decision despite allowing five runs on eight hits across three innings.

Guerrero could have avoided most of this by apologizing sooner, or not speaking out at all, but he made a mistake and there’s no reason to keep dwelling on it. He’s not a bad guy, and now that the fans and the player have had their say it’s time to move on.

Whether the comments come back to haunt him again will depend on his level of play. If Guerrero is a beast next season, all will be well. If he struggles, it won’t take long for those old quotes to resurface.

Until then, play ball ... for another two days.

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Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on X: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca.