Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got revenge on Matt Barnes by sending a home run ball out of Fenway Park.
Matt Barnes tried to throw a fast one past Vlad Guerrero Jr., but the Toronto Blue Jays slugger sent the next pitch out of the ballpark.
The Blue Jays were trailing the Boston Red Sox 1-0 with two outs in the top of the ninth when Guerrero Jr. hit a long bomb into the streets beyond the centerfield wall.
Monday’s blast was Guerrero Jr.’s MLB-leading 22nd home run of the season.
Guerrero Jr. sends home run ball out of Fenway
Let this be a lesson to anyone who tries to throw some quick cheese at Vlad Guerrero Jr. The Blue Jays star sits atop the MLB home run leaderboard for a reason. The exit velocity on that homer was 114.7 mph. With a projected distance of 451 feet, that ball would soar over the outfield wall in all 30 MLB stadiums, not just the one at Fenway Park.
Guerrero Jr. also boasts the second-best batting average in the majors. At .346 through his first 228 at-bats, he trails only Nick Castellanos of the Cincinnati Reds (.360).
Unfortunately for Guerrero Jr., the Red Sox got the last laugh tonight when Rafael Devers singled to score Alex Verdugo for the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. The victory extends the Red Sox lead over the Blue Jays to 5.5 games for second place in the AL East.