Photographer looks back on iconic 2002 shot of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Montreal Expos' Vladimir Guerrero tips his cap to the crowd after he struck out in the eighth inning against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Joey Hamilton, in Montreal, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2002. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson)

The photojournalist who snapped an iconic shot of three-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. next to his father at a September 2002 Montreal Expos game says he captured the image moments after the latter failed to hit his 40th home run of the season.

Retired Canadian Press photographer Paul Chiasson said he took the photo after Vladimir Guerrero had struck out in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds.

Had he not struck out, Guerrero could have become the fourth player in Major League Baseball’s “40-40 club,” reserved for those who hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. The group has since grown to six members.

“I suspect that’s why his son was there, just to celebrate with him,” Chiasson said of the photograph.

“But he struck out in the eighth inning, and then his son came out, and they tipped their caps.”

The at-bat came in the final days of a season in which the elder Guerrero drove in 111 runs and led the National League with 206 hits, finishing fourth in MVP voting.

“Obviously, Junior knew what to do.”

The photo has gone viral in recent weeks as Guerrero Jr. led his Blue Jays to victory as the MVP of the American League Championship Series.

Guerrero Sr. played with the Montreal Expos from 1996 to 2003 — and went on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was named the team’s player of the year four separate times, setting numerous single-season team records in home runs and total bases, among other categories.

Guerrero Jr., meanwhile, began his major-league career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019. The club is now preparing for its first World Series appearance in 32 years, with Game 1 set for Friday at Rogers Centre.

On July 11, at 26, Guerrero Jr. got his 1,000th hit, becoming the youngest Blue Jays player ever to do so.

He hit 23 home runs and batted .292 with 84 RBIs during the 2025 regular season.

Chiasson spent roughly two decades covering the Expos, up until their last season in the city in 2004, describing Guerrero Sr. as one of the most intense baseball players he’s ever witnessed.

That Sept. 29, 2002 photo of Guerrero Jr. sporting the pinstriped-Expos uniform and raising his cap to the crowd left a lasting impression on the Blue Jays star, who had it stitched onto a custom glove he wore at his first All-Star Game in 2021.

Chiasson remembers that moment well, saying it generated many headlines at the time.

“It was cool to see that picture on the glove,” Chiasson said, adding he was a little disappointed few journalists mentioned he was the one who took it. “It’s like talking about a book and not mentioning who the author is.”

As for the game on Friday, Chiasson said he plans to tune in.

“Like any father, I’m sure Vlad Sr. is really proud of his son, and what he’s been achieving in the last years with the Blue Jays.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.