Vlad Jr. wearing his dad's Expos jersey is perfect

TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrived to work on his first day as a Major Leaguer wearing a similar shirt to the one he put on so many times as a child: His father's No. 27 Expos jersey.

Guerrero received the uniform as a gift from Major League Baseball just a few hours before checking into Rogers Centre for his first big league game, in which he went 1-for-4 and delivered a clutch double in the ninth that set up the Blue Jays' 4-2 walk-off win over the A's. It was a fitting tribute from a 20-year-old who was born in Montreal, raised in the Dominican Republic and is trying to follow his Hall of Fame father's footsteps.

By the time Guerrero stepped onto the podium at Rogers Centre for the first time, the Expos jersey was gone and replaced by a No. 27 Blue Jays jersey. That’s the uniform Guerrero is wearing as he starts to write his own story, but at least for one final afternoon it was about paying respect to the man who came before him.

"It was to honor my dad," Guerrero said through an interpreter before the game. "Since I was a kid, I was running around following my dad in the clubhouse in Montreal. I wanted to bring that back today."

The similarities between father and son are almost endless. The approach at the plate might be different, but it often finishes with the same result. The elder Guerrero hit .346/.403/.588 with 50 home runs and 201 RBIs in 306 career Minor League games. The younger Guerrero slashed .331/.413/.531 with 44 home runs and 209 RBIs in 288 games.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo called Guerrero Sr. the best hitter he has ever seen live. Prior to Friday night, Guerrero Jr. had not even appeared in a big league game and yet some people have been making similar claims about him. Nationals broadcaster F.P. Santangelo, a former teammate of Guerrero Sr. in Montreal, went as far as to suggest Vlad Jr. might turn into the best ballplayer of all time.

The expectations are absurd and yet Guerrero seems to be handling them with ease. He has a laid-back demeanor and at no point during Friday's pregame media circus did MLB Pipeline's top prospect seem out of place. Being the son of a Major Leaguer doesn't mean you automatically become one, but it does mean you're at least used to the environment, and that might save Guerrero from being too overwhelmed during this chaotic opening week.

"It’s such a good baseball story, and he’s so aware of it," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. "I think his experiences in Montreal last year, his experiences as a young man growing up, and having those experiences in Montreal, he’s more aware than most of our young players of what it means to play for a city and a country. Since 2016, all of those interactions are abundantly clear. I can’t imagine him having been left in better hands."

Friday's series opener vs. Oakland felt like anything but a normal regular-season game. There was almost a postseason-like atmosphere to the entire scene. The pregame news conference room was standing room only. Gates were open early for fans and one local television station did a live stream of his batting practice.

The Blue Jays celebrated the occasion by handing out free "Vlad" T-shirts. Fans greeted their new star with a standing ovation during BP, another standing ovation as he took the field for warmups and yet another when he stepped into the box for his first at-bat in the second inning, during which he grounded out to first base. For the first time this year there was a large walk-up crowd looking to buy tickets, because after all this talk, and all this hype, nobody wanted to miss his debut.

"I would be nervous, I know that for sure," Montoyo said before the game. "But playing defense and stuff -- I don’t know if it’s because he grew up in the clubhouse, maybe it makes him more relaxed, but he really is really relaxed. That’s pretty good. It’s special to be like that."

As for that Expos jersey, it just made Guerrero's father even more proud and appreciative than he was before.

"It made me feel so happy to see that," Guerrero Sr. said through an interpreter. "The fact that I played in Montreal, and now seeing my boy wearing that jersey, and now putting the Blue Jays jersey on in Toronto, makes me so happy."