The Toronto Blue Jays are steadily climbing the AL for the third Wild Card spot, and after their 3-1 win against the New York Yankees, they are only one game behind. However, their latest win came at the cost of their $500 million first baseman. After opening the scoreboard for the Blue Jays, he was forced to exit the game early following a scary collision.
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“He [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.] got hit pretty good with the knee there from Lombard in the head. So they’re checking him out,” John Schneider said, per Sportsnet on X.
“He had a little bit of a headache, which took him out. Kind of precautionary right now. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
On Friday night, neither the Yankees nor the Blue Jays scored till the sixth inning. The game was tied at zero by the end of the fifth as Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber squared off, but then all hell broke loose in the sixth inning.
The sixth frame of the series opener at Toronto was as chaotic as it was eventful. After the Yankees took a 1-0 lead, their manager Aaron Boone got ejected; the Blue Jays tied the score in the bottom of the frame. However, it was the result of a chaotic play at third base that saw the Blue Jays’ star, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., exit the field.
With one out and two runners on base, George Springer hit a grounder to Ryan McMahon at third while Guerrero Jr. was at first. The Yankees unsuccessfully attempted a double play after getting Nathan Lukes out. The Blue Jays’ first baseman started the play and broke for third once Luis Garcia Jr. failed to scoop Ryan McMahon’s throw.
Trying to get Vlad out at third, Garcia threw across the diamond but did not check whether anyone was covering the bag. With no one there to field it, George Lombard Jr. tried to reach for the throw. Instead, he collided with Guerrero Jr. As they clashed, Lombard’s knee hit Guerrero on the side of his face hard. Though the Blue Jays star scored from there, he was visibly uncomfortable after the play.
During his postgame media interaction, Schneider was asked about the sixth-inning play.
“There’s a lot going on,” Schneider said, per Sportsnet. “McMahon’s so good at third, you’re kind of thinking, ‘Okay, this is going to be a double play’…So I was kind of, I didn’t really see it in real time, the knee to the head. You’re looking for obstruction there to make sure he scores. And, you know, Georgie did a good job to get in the second, but it was a lot going on for sure.”
After the play, John Schneider and the trainer entered the field to check on Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year, $500 million contract, and saw his discomfort. They exited the field with the 27-year-old and placed him under concussion protocol. However, the Blue Jays have not yet placed him on the 7-day concussion lL. They will closely monitor him for any signs of concussion. If any symptoms show up, they will place him on the list per MLB rules. The league requires teams to mandatorily place players diagnosed with or showing signs of concussion on a 7-day IL.
After Guerrero Jr.’s exit, rookie Charles McAdoo replaced him for the rest of the game. Even if the Blue Jays’ 1B does not show any signs of a concussion by tomorrow, he is unlikely to be available for their afternoon game against the Yankees.