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<\/p>\nThe moment came before the ninth inning on the last day of the 2002 season.<\/p>\n
Vladimir Guerrero was called out on a check swing in the bottom of the eighth, meaning his year would end one home run short of the illustrious 40-40 club for homers and stolen bases. Angered at the call and a similar controversy the night before \u2014 when Guerrero blasted a ball off the top of the wall that was ruled a double \u2014 fans of the Montreal Expos showered the Olympic Stadium field with plastic bottles, paper cups and beer cans. There was a six-minute delay.<\/p>\n
Finally the field was cleared, and Guerrero jogged out to his position in right field.<\/p>\n
At the time, no one knew what the Expos\u2019 future held. Although they would not leave to become the Washington Nationals for two more years, some feared this game would mark the end of baseball in Montreal.<\/p>\n
Geurerro\u2019s son, little Vlad Jr., was all of 3 years old when he followed his father into the outfield, dressed in full uniform. Before the inning started, Vlad Sr. took off his cap and waved it toward a cheering crowd. Vlad Jr. removed a batting helmet and imitated his father\u2019s wave.<\/p>\n
Paul Chiasson, a Canadian Press photojournalist, was there to capture the moment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Photographer Paul Chiasson\u2019s original image of father and son from 2003. (AP Photo\/Paul Chiasson)<\/p>\n
The photo was picked up and ran in newspapers across Canada and the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day that happened, it was cool, it was nice, it was a beautiful picture,\u201d Chiasson said via phone Tuesday afternoon. \u201cIt got a lot of play, and that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty-three years later, though, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is leading the Toronto Blue Jays into the World Series. That photo and others have resurfaced and taken on a whole new meaning. Photographers who were merely trying to document the moment ended up capturing shots that, in a way, foretold the future.<\/p>\n
Chiasson\u2019s photo \u2014 one of several he took of the father and son that weekend \u2014 first re-entered his life in 2021. That\u2019s when Guerrero Jr. wore a glove covered with small versions of the picture for his first MLB All-Star Game.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nLike father, like son. (And on one glove!)<\/p>\n
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.\u2019s glove for the MLB #AllStarGame<\/a> \ud83e\udd29<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcf8 @MLB<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5umcdQK4Hv<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 13, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Chiasson was on vacation at his brother\u2019s farm in southeastern Qu\u00e9bec when a friend forwarded him a post featuring the glove. People asked if he was going to get any extra money for the shot. The answer was no, but the photograph was still meaningful.<\/p>\n
In truth, Chiasson hardly remembers the day he took that photo. When he took the shot of Vlad Sr. and Vlad Jr., he was documenting the elder\u2019s chase for 40-40 and an emotional day for baseball in Montreal. He never thought about what it might mean years later.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s face it,\u201d he said. \u201cAt that age, you would have to be a really good scout to figure out that Jr. is going to be a top baseball player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, some signs were already bubbling to the surface. There was the obvious pedigree and an upbringing in MLB parks. Then there was his size and natural aptitude. A Canadian newspaper once ran a note comparing 3-year-old Vlad Jr. to the son of another Expos player, Wil Cordero Jr.<\/p>\n
Cordero Jr. was nearly a year older, but Guerrero Jr. was already bigger. He wore his father\u2019s No. 27 and a uniform that read \u201cVladi Jr.\u201d on the back. He taped his wrists and had \u201c27\u201d written on the tape. He stretched with the pitchers, shagged balls in the outfield and imitated his father\u2019s bat waggle behind the cage.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 1, 2002, Canadian Press photographer Ryan Remiorz took another photo of Guerrero Jr. that often resurfaces on social media. That photo showed an adorable boy standing in front of his father, holding his hat over his heart, while the national anthems played before a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I shot that, it was a cute kid with his dad,\u201d Remiorz said. \u201cHis dad was a big star.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now these photos are part of this bigger story. They show the way a young star was raised. They reflect his close relationship with his father. They hint at the destiny ahead.<\/p>\n
Only a few days ago, the official MLB account posted the photo with the caption: \u201cThis kid is heading to the World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThis kid is heading to the World Series \ud83e\udd79 pic.twitter.com\/lfdcRc5uaL<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 MLB (@MLB) October 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Remiorz scrolled through the comments and could not help but shake his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne actually said, \u2018This is fake, it\u2019s AI-generated,\u2019\u201d Remiorz said. \u201cI\u2019m sitting there thinking, \u2018OK, I guess times change.\u2019 Now you can\u2019t believe anything. But I can attest to the fact that is a real photo, and I did take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chiasson and Remiorz were close colleagues at the Canadian Press for more than three decades. Both are now retired. Reminded of their Guerrero photos, one reached out to another this week, and they made plans to grab a beer. Both had plenty of memorable moments in their careers, but Chiasson said he could not think of another photograph that re-emerged so many years later in a whole different context.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome pictures had an impact right away,\u201d Chiasson said. \u201cBut this is really special. \u2026 With the two events \u2013 the glove and now the World Series \u2013 it\u2019s just taken on a whole new meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remiorz could only think of one other photograph that compared. In 1995, he covered the Qu\u00e9bec Referendum, a controversial vote that sought to give Qu\u00e9bec independence from the rest of Canada. Remiorz captured an image at a protest, featuring a large Canadian flag. His son was young at the time. Years later, he came home from high school and said: \u201cHey Dad, your picture is in my history book.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remiorz joked that made him feel old. But seeing the Guerrero Jr. picture pop up all over social media \u2014 and even serve as part of a Fox pregame package \u2014 has stirred up some memories. Remiorz said it feels like yesterday when the Expos left Montreal. Just Tuesday night he watched the documentary \u201cWho Killed the Montreal Expos?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cVlad Jr., born in Montreal, was meant to be a Toronto Blue Jay. Destined to extend his hall of fame father\u2019s hitting legacy. Bound to remain a baseball hero in Canada for the entirety of his playing career.\u201d @Ken_Rosenthal<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TkRUDeF9Qi<\/a><\/p>\n