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Vlad Guerrero Jr. walks it off to trigger clutch Blue Jays comeback

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Prior to a night in which he would deliver his latest clutch hit for a big Blue Jays win, Vlad Guerrero Jr. was talking about what it means to him to have success at the Rogers Centre.

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He’s comfortable here, he said, and feels like it’s his home.

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He loves the fans and he likes the park. And more importantly, he loves to win here.

Some five hours later, with his team needing one of those big Vlad moments to recover from a blown lead that would have been crushing had it ended in a loss, Guerrero delivered with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Jays a 6-5 win over the Red Sox.

Guerrero danced around the bases like it was indeed his home, his personal barrio, as an early-week crowd of 27,140 roared its approval.

“Since I’ve gotten here, I’ve always felt very comfortable here,” Guerrero said through team translator Hector Lebron. “This is my house. I don’t see it any other way.”

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With most in the Rogers Centre standing and chanting his name as he came to the plate with two runners on and the game tied at 5-5 in the ninth, Guerrero showed just how comfortable he was with the game on the line, as well.

After an RBI single from Bo Bichette before him had equalled the score, Guerrero entered the batting box with the renewed poise he has shown in recent weeks.

And when he belted out the winning single up the middle to send George Springer across the plate with the winning run, the house showed just how much they loved him, as well.

Even better for the comeback story, in what for the later portions of the contest had seemed unlikely, Guerrero called his shot to manager Charlie Montoyo.

“What I like about him, he was telling me he was going to end the game (in the ninth),” Montoyo said of his young superstar, who followed his big game winner with one of the most animated celebrations of his career. “I like when he does that, because when you do that, you’re like a player psyching yourself up.

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“He already had that mindset going in.”

And of course, the tools to back it up.

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Though there’s plenty of season to unfold, this game may be remembered as a critical one as it rescued a struggling bullpen on a night when the offence was desperately needed. But it also vaulted the Jays back in front of the Red Sox and into second in the AL East.

Their third walk-off win of the season improved them to 42-32 overall, 23-14 at the Rogers Centre and 7-2 against Boston this season. It also set up the possibility of a series sweep with big Alek Manoah on the mound on Wednesday.

The win had its dose of incredulity, as well, given the struggles of the bullpen that began after starter Ross Stripling could only serve up five innings. That’s a developing and ongoing story that isn’t going away any time soon with this team.

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Adam Cimber got through the sixth unscathed but when Trent Thornton allowed a two-run homer to Rob Refsnyder in the seventh to tie it at 4-4, the wild roller-coaster was under way.

The Sox would take their first lead of the game in the eighth, but the resilience of the Jays that we’ve seen repeatedly this season, was in force again.

“What I tell (the bullpen) if you can keep us in the game with (this) offence, we have a chance,” Montoyo said.

They certainly did on Tuesday with a lineup almost perfectly suited for a comeback.

The winning rally started with who else but super hero catcher Alejandro Kirk, who led off the ninth with a pinch-hit single. That clutch effort was followed by a Springer single, Bichette’s game-tying knock and ultimately Guerrero’s winner.

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Guerrero said the comfort he feels at the Rogers Centre helps in key situations, like the game on the line moment on Tuesday.

“I don’t really get focused on trying to hit it to specific spots, like hitting it in the upper deck or anything like that,” Guerrero said. “I just want to hit it hard. I know that if I do that, the ball’s going to go far or find a hole.”

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Though Guerrero isn’t yet performing to the level he did last season, his teammates are noticing how he’s been heating up of late, including nine homers so far in June

“He’s starting to get hot and he’s being a little more patient at the plate,” said outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who got things going with an RBI double in the first inning on Tuesday. “He had a period of time where he wasn’t as patient. It’s part of the process and he’s learning that. He seems to be doing much better now.”

And in the magnitude of Tuesday’s moment, he brought the house down.

“Thee crowd was awesome,” Montoyo said. “You could feel it. It’s what you feel when you are at (places) like Fenway.

“I don’t take that for granted. I know our players felt it too.”

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ROMANO FOR THE WIN

With the bullpen reeling and the top of the Red Sox order up in the ninth, Montoyo went to closer Jordan Romano — who needed some work almost as much as the Jays needed a shut-down effort from a reliever. In just his sixth appearance in June, Romano allowed a walk but nothing more, finishing it off with a strikeout of Xander Bogaerts to keep the game within reach. It also earned him the win.

AROUND THE BASES

No holding your breath on a potential return of Nate Pearson any time soon. It will be three weeks before the injury-riddled pitcher will even start tossing after his most recent setback, a lat strain he suffered with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on June 19 … The Jays have come to terms with reliever Sergio Romo, pending a physical which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. The 39-year-old right hander was at the Rogers Centre and in uniform prior to the game.

rlongley@postmedia.com

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