The Toronto Blue Jays have a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sparked the Jays in their win in Game 5, and OptaSTATS has revealed a new stat that has put him in World Series history, along with San Francisco Giants’ legend Barry Bonds.
“Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has reached base 14 times and hit two homers in this World Series. The only other player to reach those stats in the first five World Series games of his career was Barry Bonds in 2002,” OptaSTATS wrote on X.
Through the first three games of the World Series, Guerrero had reached base but had not hit one out of the park. Significantly, the Dodgers led the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, and there seemed to be an urgency for the Jays. Guerrero took Shohei Ohtani deep for a home run in Game 4, which gave the Jays the lead, which they never surrendered.
When he came up to the plate in Game 5, it was already 1-0. Teammate Davis Schneider and Guerrero blasted solo home runs off Blake Snell to start the game. Similar to Game 4, it gave the Jays the lead, which they never surrendered, as they kept the Dodgers at bay with good pitching.
When Bonds played in the World Series against the Anaheim Angels, he often reached base because the Halos intentionally walked him. In total, Bonds went 8 for 17 (.471) with four home runs, six RBIs, and eight runs scored while drawing 13 walks, including a World Series record seven intentional walks. Bonds reached base 21 times in total over seven games.
Many compare Bonds to Ohtani because of the four intentional walks the Japanese superstar earned in Game 3. However, it’s been Guerrero who has matched the former slugger’s accomplishments over his first five games. In the 2002 World Series, the Giants led 3-2 before heading down to Southern California and falling to the Angels in seven games.
As Guerrero and the Jays head home to Toronto, they hope for a different fate. While Guerrero has matched Bonds in individual accomplishments, he will get a chance to do something Bonds could not do: win the World Series.