Bizarre Vladimir Guerrero Jr. glove sequence perfectly sums up Blue Jays’ misery

The Toronto Blue Jays’ abysmal highway journey got here to a becoming finish in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Mariners – thanks partially to a bloop, a blast, and a damaged glove. 

Issues started to go awry within the fifth inning of the competition, when Toronto held a 4-1 lead. After Sam Haggerty grounded the ball again to Blue Jays reliever David Phelps, the pitcher then fired the ball dwelling for the second out of the inning. From there, catcher Gabriel Moreno delivered a strike to first base that may’ve rapidly capped off the double play — if solely Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s glove had cooperated.

Moreno’s heater as an alternative shot straight by means of Guerrero Jr.’s leather-based and onto the sector. The primary baseman might solely look down at his mitt in disbelief as one other Mariners run scored en path to a 6-5 win and four-game sweep.

As an alternative of an inning-ending double play… The ball went instantly by means of Vladdy's glove. 😐 pic.twitter.com/1bwfEyruD4

— Tim and Associates (@timandfriends) July 10, 2022

The one-in-a-million play was all too acquainted to Guerrero Jr., who needed to trash a glove earlier this season after a near-identical occasion. When going through off in opposition to the Baltimore Orioles on June 13, the 23-year-old tried to catch a protracted throw from third baseman Santiago Espinal, solely to see the ball whizz by means of the webbing of his mitt.

“That modified the sport,” Blue Jays supervisor Charlie Montoyo stated of Sunday’s misfortune. “And that’s simply powerful frigging luck. I’ve seen it twice now all this yr, and it often doesn’t occur to the identical man twice. Nevertheless it occurred.”

The Blue Jays’ hapless defeat wrapped up a dreadful highway journey, by which they went 1-6 in opposition to the Oakland Athletics and Mariners. Their latest ten-game stretch has seen them lose all however one sport and fall out of the ultimate wild-card place, in favor of Seattle.

Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (proper) seems down at his glove after an obvious challenge with its webbing in Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Mariners.

AP

Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is handed a brand new glove in Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Mariners.

AP

“This entire highway journey, it’s a bit of little bit of Murphy’s Legislation,” Phelps stated. “If one thing can go unsuitable, it has.”

Amid struggles, Toronto at the moment sits in fourth place within the AL East, solely two video games above the last-place Baltimore Orioles, and a staggering 16.5 video games behind the Yankees for the lead. The Blue Jays will host the Phillies for a two-game collection starting Tuesday, adopted by the Royals for a four-game stretch beginning Thursday earlier than the All-Star break.

Let’s hope Guerrero Jr. will resolve his glove’s points in time.