Vlad Jr. hits bomb in BP before MLB debut
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Making his MLB debut, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. batted fifth, behind Rowdy Tellez, and played third base against Oakland on Friday night at Rogers Centre. And before the game, he put on a show during batting practice, hitting a 457-foot bomb on one swing.
Guerrero, who arrived the ballpark early Friday wearing his father's Montreal Expos jersey, will be wearing No. 27 -- the same number his dad wore throughout his Hall of Fame career.
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The younger Guerrero put up remarkable numbers this season and throughout his Minor League career to earn a callup less than six weeks after his 20th birthday. Guerrero slashed .333/.400/.578 and hit three homers in 12 games at two levels this year, mirroring his .331/.413/.531 line in 288 professional games dating to 2016.
In Vlad Sr.'s Major League debut for the Expos on Sept. 19, 1996, he hit sixth (behind Rondell White) and started in right field. Guerrero went 1-for-5 in the game, notching the first of 2,590 career hits with a single into center field off the Braves' Steve Avery his second time up.