The greatest walk-off that didn't really count

March 27th, 2020

Two years ago on this date, crushed a walk-off homer against the Cardinals in an exhibition game. While the blast didn't count as far as the official Major League record book is concerned, it carried a great deal of significance nonetheless.

Why? The home run came at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, where Guerrero's father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, spent the first eight years of his career.

Vlad Jr.'s first real walk-off homer will surely be a memorable occasion, but it's going to be difficult to top this one, Spring Training or not. Here's everything that made the moment particularly special.

The history: The elder Guerrero not only was one of the greatest players in Montreal Expos history, but also the franchise's last superstar before it moved to Washington D.C. and became the Nationals. Although his final game with the Expos came in 2003, Guerrero is still revered in Montreal.

Over eight seasons with the club, Guerrero hit .323/.390/.588 with 234 home runs and 123 stolen bases, making four All-Star teams in that time. He ranks first in Olympic Stadium history with seven walk-off homers, three more than any other player.

The Blue Jays, now Canada's only Major League team, began playing exhibition contests at Olympic Stadium in 2014, drawing more than 96,000 fans combined in two games the first year.

In July 2015, Toronto signed the younger Guerrero as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic, and by March '18, the prospect hype surrounding the third baseman was starting to grow.

Guerrero was coming off his first full professional season, having hit .323/.425/.485 with 13 homers and an impressive 76-to-62 BB/K ratio over 119 games between Class A and Class A Advanced as an 18-year-old.

Guerrero appeared in only two Grapefruit League games before the Blue Jays' Montreal trip in 2018, but the club decided to bring him and fellow prospect Bo Bichette north.

The number: When Guerrero played for the Blue Jays earlier that spring, he sported No. 83. But during the team's series in Montreal, Guerrero wore No. 27, the same number his father wore for his entire career. Guerrero said that he didn't request the number switch but found out about it when he saw that the team had packed a No. 27 jersey for him as a surprise prior to the trip to Canada.

In the first game of Toronto's series against St. Louis, Guerrero entered as a sub at third base in the top of the seventh inning. This wasn't his first time on the Olympic Stadium turf. Here he is at age 3, decked out in full uniform before an Expos game against the Braves in 2002.

When his name was announced, Guerrero was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 25,000. It was more of the same when he came to the plate for the first time in the bottom of the seventh.

Guerrero ended up going 0-for-2 with a lineout and a groundout in the first game. He would have a bit more success the next day.

The matchup: Even if you remembered Guerrero's walk-off dinger in Montreal, you might have forgotten that it came against . The right-hander's involvement provides even more intrigue, as he has gone on to become one of the very best pitchers in baseball. This early showdown between the two could take on added meaning if Guerrero and Flaherty dominate the game for the next decade.

At the time, Flaherty was MLB's No. 38 overall prospect, while Guerrero was No. 3. With Adam Wainwright suffering a hamstring injury late in Spring Training, Flaherty was set to open 2018 in the Cardinals' rotation. Guerrero, meanwhile, was headed for Double-A New Hampshire, but his home run further fueled the idea that he could be ready for the Majors sooner rather than later, despite being just 19 years old.

For the second straight day, Guerrero was a defensive replacement, taking over at third base in the sixth inning of a scoreless game. St. Louis summoned Flaherty in the seventh, and the righty proceeded to retire the first eight batters he faced, including four on strikeouts. Guerrero, however, put a stop to the streak, jumping on the second pitch he saw.

The pitch: Flaherty's slider is lethal. Over 2018-19, he ranked 11th in xBA (.172) and tied for 15th in xSLG (.287) on sliders (min. 1,000 sliders thrown). His whiff rate of 45.8% on sliders was the 11th-best mark in that span (min. 400 swings on sliders).

But on March 27, 2018, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Flaherty threw a hanging slider to Guerrero, and Vlad Jr. didn't miss. It was the final pitch of Spring Training for both clubs, with Opening Day coming two days later.

Guerrero's big fly -- the first walk-off homer at Olympic Stadium since Orlando Cabrera's on June 20, 2004 -- set off a frenzied celebration in the park, and he even got a curtain call after intially retreating to the dugout.

Following the walk-off jack, Guerrero went on to record a .381/.437/.636 slash line with 20 home runs over 95 games in the Minors in 2018, starting as the youngest player in the Eastern League (Double-A) and reaching Triple-A in July.

MLB Pipeline ranked Guerrero first on its list of the Top 100 prospects prior to the 2019 season. After being delayed by an oblique injury during Spring Training, Guerrero made his big league debut on April 26, 2019, and he ended up hitting .272 with 15 home runs and a .772 OPS over 123 games as a rookie.

As for Flaherty, he made 28 starts for the Cardinals in 2018, finishing fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year Award race after posting a 3.34 ERA. And last year, he rebounded from a slow start to register an eye-popping 0.93 ERA with a 0.70 WHIP over his final 16 starts.

Guerrero and Flaherty have not yet crossed paths in the regular season, as the Blue Jays and Cardinals haven't played each other since 2017.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com