“Need to Get Better,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Admits Blue Jays Need to Step up After Going 2-0 down in ALCS Against Mariners

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went hitless again in Game 2 as the Toronto Blue Jays lost 10-3 against the Seattle Mariners.

“Need to Get Better,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Admits Blue Jays Need to Step up After Going 2-0 down in ALCS Against Mariners

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Image via X/@MLBStats)

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The Toronto Blue Jays fell 2-0 down in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Monday after losing 10-3 in Game 2 against the Seattle Mariners. After the game, team superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. admitted that they need to step up and do better.

Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays were shut down in Game 1 after a bright start. On the first pitch of their inning, George Springer crushed a solo home run off Bryce Miller to give them an early 1-0 lead.

The Mariners’ defense would then lock down the hosts. After that solo bomb from Springer, they gave up just one more hit in the entire game. Meanwhile, a solo home run from Cal Raleigh tied the game in the 6th inning before Jorge Polanco, hero of the ALDS Game 5, put up two runs and led the team to a 3-1 win.

Needing a response in Game 2, the Blue Jays found themselves 3-0 down through a Julio Rodriguez 3-run home run. The Canadian outfit fought back and scored twice in the first inning and leveled the game at 3-3 in the 2nd inning.

However, their defense was unable to contain the Mariners. A 2nd 3-run home run of the game, this time from Polanco, made it a 6-3 game. Josh Naylor would then crush a 2-run home run in the seventh inning to extend the lead to 9-3. In the end, the Mariners grabbed a 10-3 win and took a 2-0 series lead against the AL East champions.

The offense of the Blue Jays has struggled so far in this series. They have managed just 8 hits in the two games. In the ALDS against the New York Yankees, they registered 50 hits and outscored their division rivals 34-19 in 4 games while eliminating them.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who went 9-for-17 against the Yankees with 3 home runs, has yet to have a hit in the ALCS against the Mariners. He is 0-for-7 in the 2 games. Speaking with the reporters after the game, the 26-year-old expressed that he and his teammates need to get out there and win games.

We need to get better offensively. For example, myself, I had a big at-bat and I couldn’t come through. That’s baseball. We need to go out there and win games.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through his translator Hector Lebron

Former Mariners star and Fox Sports analyst Alex Rodriguez claimed that the team had lost their edge after beating the Yankees. The Blue Jays will need to find this lost edge again as they travel to T-Mobile Park in Seattle for Game 3 on Wednesday.

John Schneider remains optimistic about Blue Jays coming back from 2-0 down

The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in a tricky situation. With the loss in Game 2, they need a big comeback if they are to go through to the World Series. Manager John Schneider has remained optimistic about his team’s chances of progression from here on.

Toronto Bleu Jays manager John Schneider
John Schneider

The Blue Jays do not have history on their side. In MLB postseason history, teams that go 2-0 in the best-of-seven series have won 78 out of 93 times. In the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have won Game 1 and Game 2 on the road have won 24 out of 27 times.

The most recent 2-0 comeback took place 2 years ago in the National League Championship Series. The Arizona Diamondbacks came back from 2-0 down and beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 to reach the World Series.

However, a team has not come back after losing their 2 opening games at home since the New York Yankees in 1996. The Bronx Bombers lost Games 1 and 2 at home before winning 4 straight to win the World Series against the Atlanta Braves.

Despite the odds stacked against them, Schneider is optimistic about his team. While speaking with the reporters after Game 2, he expressed that his team needs to find ways to generate their offense.

I’m always going to have optimism about this team… We’ve got to figure out ways to generate more offense. I give the guys a ton of credit for coming back, down three and we tied it, they just made more swings than us the last two games. That’s what it comes down to.

John Schneider said

The Blue Jays were the comeback kings in 2025. The Toronto-based side came back to win 49 games this year, the most by any team. They will need some of that offense in Game 3 to avoid going 3-0 down in the series.

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