Guerrero Wins MVP, Blue Jays Bring Show To MLB All-Star Game

The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays had more All-Stars than all but two teams in franchise history

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Fernando Tatís Jr. grabbed his head as the bat met ball. A collective gasp emerged from the crowd as every member of the American League dugout raised their hands.

As Vlad Guerrero Jr. stepped out of the batter's box, a smile broke across his face. He backtracked toward first, breaking into a trot as the ball finally landed a section deep in left field.

Guerrero was the youngest player to homer in the MLB All-Star Game since Johnny Bench, won game MVP, and delivered one of the longest shots in summer classic history. It was historic, but it was the same show Blue Jay fans have witnessed all season. 

From Guerrero moonshots to Bo Bichette ovations, there were Blue Jay moments littered throughout MLB All-Star week. With Marcus Semien RBIs and Teoscar Hernández doubles mixed in too, the 2021 mid-summer classic had a clear Blue Jay flavor. 

"We're all-stars and that's something that you can never take away from us," Semien said before the game.

Guerrero became the first Blue Jay to ever win All-Star Game MVP, but even Toronto's groundouts drew loud fan reactions. In the top of the first inning, Max Scherzer scrapped himself off the mound and delivered a decipherable expletive as Guerrero came over to bear hug the Nationals ace. Guerrero's missile groundout missed Scherzer's head by inches and the American League's starting first basemen needed to apologize with an embrace.

While other top stars had been subbed out, AL manager Kevin Cash allowed Guerrero one final at bat in the fifth. He hacked through the first two high pitches before chopping a grounder to second base, plating his teammate, Hernández, and extending the lead. In the top of the fifth inning the American League lead 3-0, with all three runs driven in by Blue Jays.

While casual applause or thunderous boos met most of the introduced American Leaguers pre-game, Coors Field broke into an ovation when Bichette's name was called. Standing on the field where his father played seven years and appeared in an All-Star game of his own, Bichette made his summer classic debut.

All four Blue Jays earned their first All-Star nods in 2021, and only two teams in franchise history had more All-Stars than this season: 2016 and 1993. 

Those two teams won over 90 games, pushed deep into the postseason, and set a road map for this current Blue Jays core. While Toronto sits third in the AL East and just three games over .500, this year's All-Star Game showcased the Blue Jays top talent on a national stage and was a reminder of the heights they should be reaching for.