The Triple Crown Is in His Reach. The M.V.P. Probably Isn’t.
The New York Times
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a season for the ages, but he’ll have a hard time catching Shohei Ohtani.
The ball came rocketing off Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s bat at 114 miles an hour. It had an absurdly low 15-degree launch angle, and it landed just over the fence in left field, 356 feet from home plate. And with that — his 45th home run of the year — Guerrero moved into sole possession of the American League lead. One ahead of Shohei Ohtani.
With Guerrero leading the A.L. in batting average (.318) through Monday, and currently only four runs batted in behind the A.L.’s leader (103 to Jose Abreu’s 107), the 27th triple crown in major league history suddenly seems possible.
That would be the perfect cap to a year in which the slimmed-down Guerrero has realized his enormous potential, has his team positioned for its second straight postseason appearance, and has done it all even as the Toronto Blue Jays were forced to play a game of musical chairs for its home ballpark for much of the season. Yet despite his numbers, and his team’s achievements, Guerrero would have to be considered a sizable underdog to Ohtani, the Angels’ two-way sensation, in the race for the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award.
