The ending was just a little bit strange on what otherwise should’ve been a happy Wednesday at the ballpark for the Toronto Blue Jays.
They had just defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-1 in a game that kept Toronto pretty close to the third-and-final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Myles Straw was doing a postgame interview on the field, the kind of setting that often brings about shenanigans from teammates.
Straw had delivered a key go-ahead single on hanging slider in the fourth inning, and the Blue Jays never gave the lead back up, so he was the guy the broadcast chose to interview on a 2-for-4 day out of the 9-spot in the order.
It was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who chose to mess with Straw in this moment, but the vibes were all just a little off.
What Happened?
Straw clearly saw Guerrero coming to dump some liquid on him, and as part of the setup, Straw kicked his cleats out of the way.
A speedster, Straw is likely quite particular about the shoes he wears on his feet, and these were a bright and flashy color, too.
First, Straw kicked them away, and his teammates picked the shoes up and put them back in the splash zone.
Then, right before Vladdy dumped the cooler, Straw pushed the shoes further away. The liquid fell, and Straw got wet, but his shoes were dry.
That is, until Guerrero went and picked them up, placed them together on the ground, and dumped more liquid on the cleats:
Oh Vladdy š pic.twitter.com/LCXuG5cbEF
ā Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 16, 2026
Maybe it’s something they all laughed about later.
Or maybe it was just a representation of a Blue Jays season that hasn’t quite gone right for anyone, particularly Guerrero.
Vladdy’s Rough Season
Guerrero was a hero in last year’s postseason. He was absolutely on fire to help lead the Blue Jays all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, which they lost in extra innings.
Toronto had signed Guerrero to a $500 million contract at the start of the 2025 season, and it looked already like it had been money well spent.
That hasn’t looked as much like the case this season.
Guerrero still, by mid-September, has not hit a single home run at home at the Rogers Centre this season.
He’s hit singles, but not a lot of extra-base hits, and his odd recession in production has coincided with a Blue Jays team that has struggled to escape from a season spent mostly under .500.
It’s hard to make sense of, because Guerrero has hit the ball hard more than you’d think for a guy who isn’t putting up much by way of slugging production. Still, it’s been an utter disappointment.
Maybe he knows exactly what he’s doing by getting Straw’s cleats soaked. But maybe in this season where Guerrero hasn’t been able to get much right, there’s a chance he got this wrong, too.
Blue Jays’ Myles Straw Annoyed by Bizarre Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Behavior