Is this the last October dance for Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette together?
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Will this be the last chance at postseason redemption for Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette together?
In this era of Blue Jays baseball, largely defined by the pairing of Guerrero and Bichette, a span that includes three playoff exits and six postseason losses, that 2023 pick-off against the Minnesota Twins torments Guerrero the most.
He drifted off second base as Toronto's tying run, unaware of Carlos Correa sneaking behind him. Four innings later, the Jays lost by two runs to exit the postseason.
The pick-off still lingers in Guerrero's mind because of his teammate at the plate, the guy who's been alongside him the whole time. The guy he so badly wants to win with.
«When I got caught at second base,» Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron. «I really felt like Bo was having a good at-bat. He was going to get a base hit that at-bat. We would have tied the game.»
Bichette and Guerrero arrived in 2019 as Blue Jays franchise saviors
The pair, the only players remaining from that 2019 team, have earned All-Star nods and MVP votes.
They've achieved more playoff appearances together, four berths in seven seasons than any Blue Jays team in the last 30 years.
But postseason wins remained elusive as wild-card exits stacked up. Swept in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Punctuated with Guerrero getting picked-off.
Six postseason games. Six postseason losses.
«We've always had huge goals together,» Bichette said. «To win as much as we can, win the World Series, if not more. So I think that it's been a road. You kind of find a recipe that might work and we got to continue to grow that. Hopefully that's for many more years, but it feels good to have another opportunity.»
For Guerrero, there's only one way to move past the quick exits.
«They'll stay with me, always,» Guerrero said of the playoff losses. «The only way you can stop thinking about it is to go all the way and win the World Series.»
Guerrero and Bichette have shared clubhouses for nine years, from the minors in Dunedin to the big leagues in Toronto.
It has been seven since their promising arrival. These days, their lockers now reside beside each other in the corner of the clubhouse, a prime position reserved for players of their earned status.
The duo played a critical role in the regular season as the Blue Jays surged to the top of the American League East in 2025.
They went from 74 wins to 94 wins. Guerrero and Bichette won their first division title, earned their first bye and await their first-ever Division Series.
While Bichette is currently sidelined with a knee injury and is unlikely to return in time for the ALDS, Guerrero hopes to get the job done so his longtime friend and teammate can return to contribute in the league championship series.
In his champagne soaked clubhouse celebration Guerrero repeated three times:
«The job is not finished."
Together, Guerrero and Bichette shouldered the Blue Jays through a rebuild. They brought the team back to the postseason three times and fell short each time.
But now, they won a division. They hold a bye. The team around them is as good as it's ever been.
It's a chance, perhaps their best one yet, to do the one thing they've never done, achieve the October success they yearn for.
«It's going to be special,» Guerrero said. «It's going to be special. We've been playing together since 2017. There have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of happiness, a lot of crying, but it would be very special to win a World Series with Bo.»
Source: The Athletic
Credit: Mitch Bannon
This Article first appeared in The Athletic (paid subscription)
For the full story got to: For Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, one last chance at October glory together?
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