Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero wears Auston Matthews’ Leafs jersey ahead of ALCS Game 7

Toronto Blue Jays star Vlad Guerrero Jr. is on the verge of the biggest game of his life, with his club set to play the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.

In a demonstration of civic unity, Guerrero Jr. arrived to the game wearing the jersey of another huge sports star in the city: Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

For fans of both the Blue Jays and Maple Leafs, the donning of Matthews’ jersey might not exactly be the best omen, especially going into a Game 7. After all, Matthews’ record in Game 7’s with the Leafs is the furthest thing from sterling. The Maple Leafs are 0-6 in Game 7’s since the start of the Auston Matthews era, including most recently losing to the Florida Panthers in seven in the second round of the playoffs last year.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, haven’t played in a Game 7 since the American League Championship series against the Kansas City Royals way back in 1985. The Jays lost that game 6-2, with Kansas City going on to win the World Series.

If Vladdy wanted to conjure up some auspicious spirits from Toronto’s past, he might’ve been better advised to throw on a Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors jersey. It was Leonard’s buzzer-beating, rim-lingering, game-winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinal that kept the Raptors alive in those playoffs, en route to a NBA championship.

But hey, if Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays win Monday’s Game 7 againt the Mariners, maybe some of that good fortune can rub off on the Matthews jersey and make it’s way to Maple Leafs themselves, helping to break a Game 7 losing streak that has begun to feel like a curse.

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