TORONTO — It’s well-known that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has no fondness for the Yankees, the team he once declared he would never join—a stance that became irrelevant after his $500 million contract extension, likely securing his future with the Blue Jays for good.

Guerrero’s animosity stems from several incidents: the Yankees chose Gary Sheffield over a deal with his father, and there was an occasion when a young Guerrero Jr. was asked by a Yankees representative to leave the field prior to a game.

Is it a coincidence, then, that a hitter with a career .861 OPS owns a career .918 OPS against the Yankees?

That Guerrero demolished the Yankees to the tune of a 1.007 OPS with two home runs, four doubles and nine RBIs in 13 games this season? 

Guerrero all but shrugged. 

“It just happens that I do well against them,” he said through an interpreter during Friday’s workout day. 

Do games against the Yankees feel personal? 

“To any team, it’s personal,” he said. 

To his point, he has hammered other clubs, too. 

Neutralizing Guerrero, who has been a formidable force against the Yankees—perhaps due to his excellent skills, residual resentment, or a mix of both—will be a primary focus for Luis Gil and his team as the ALDS kicks off at the Rogers Centre on Saturday.

In 11 plate appearances against the Yankees’ Game 1 starter, Guerrero has reached base six times and posted a 1.351 OPS. 

“I try to keep it simple. Independent from who the batter is, I’m focusing on what I want to do on the mound and what I want to execute,” Gil said about the challenge that Guerrero presents. “I stay locked in on what I want to do regardless of who’s at bat.” 

Guerrero’s dominance of the Yankees has not yet extended to the postseason, in which the seventh-year pro and five-time All-Star has not yet won a game.

In six games against the Rays, Mariners and Twins, Guerrero has gone 3-for-22 without a home run. 

The Blue Jays extended the superstar for 14 years this April anyway because they believe in the talent and wanted to lock up the face of the organization. 

Is this the October when Guerrero’s excellence announces itself? 

“I want him to play free,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I don’t want him to put pressure on himself because he is the face of this team. I want him to play how he plays every day. 

“I think if he does that, he’s going to find himself in some big moments and really needs to kind of just lock into what the task is in that moment.”