From Groundskeeper to Grateful Recipient: Maria Thompson’s Surprising Connection with Vladimir Guerrero Jr .MH

Toronto, Canada – It was just another late evening at Rogers Centre. Most of the lights were already off, the concession stands closed, and the echo of the day’s batting practice had faded into silence.

Maria Thompson, a 58-year-old single mother and one of the hardest-working members of the Toronto Blue Jays grounds crew, was finishing her shift when she noticed a black SUV pulled over in the players’ parking lot with its hazard lights blinking.

Behind the wheel was none other than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The four-time All-Star, 2025 Home Run Derby champion, and face of the Blue Jays franchise had a flat tire – and zero clue how to change it.

“He looked so frustrated, standing there in his big frame leaning against the car, phone in hand trying to call someone,” Maria later recalled with a laugh. “I’ve been changing tires since I was 16. My dad taught me on an old Chevy back in Nova Scotia.

So I just walked over and said, ‘Need a hand, Mr. Guerrero?’”

What happened next has since gone viral across Blue Jays Nation and beyond.

The Kindness That Started It All

Maria didn’t ask for an autograph. She didn’t pull out her phone for a selfie.

She simply grabbed the jack and spare tire from Vlad’s trunk, got down on the concrete in her knees that have dragged rakes and painted foul lines for 18 years and had the tire changed in under 12 minutes.

Vlad, visibly relieved and grateful, tried to tip her $300 on the spot.

“She wouldn’t take a single dollar,” he later posted on Instagram. “She said, ‘I just did what any decent person would do.’ That’s when I knew I had to do something bigger for her.”

Maria drove home that night in her rattling 2009 Honda Civic with 320,000 kilometers on it, never imagining that act of simple human kindness was about to turn her life upside down in the best way possible way.

The White Pickup Truck on Her Driveway

The very next morning, Maria woke up, made coffee, and looked out her modest east-Toronto bungalow window. Parked in her driveway was a gleaming white 2025 Ford F-150 Lariat fully loaded, chrome package, moonroof, the works.

Tucked under the windshield wiper was a handwritten note:

“Maria, You helped me when you didn’t have to. Now it’s my turn. Thank you for everything you do for the Blue Jays and for Toronto. This truck is yours. Keys are in the cup holder. – Vlad”

Inside the truck? A custom Blue Jays license plate that reads “GRNDSKR” (groundskeeper) and a lifetime season-ticket package behind home plate for her and her two grandkids.

“I Thought It Was a Prank”

“I stood there crying in my pajamas,” Maria told reporters who showed up hours later after Vlad posted the story (and photos) to his 2.8 million Instagram followers.

“I called my daughter screaming, ‘There’s a truck in my yard and it says it’s mine!’ I honestly thought someone was playing the cruelest joke.”

It was no joke.

By noon, the video Vlad posted racked up 8 million views. #VladGift began trending across Canada. Local Toronto news stations led with the story.

Even Sportsnet interrupted its broadcast to show the now-iconic photo of Maria hugging Vlad next to her new truck, both of them laughing with tears in their eyes.

Who Is Maria Thompson?

For nearly two decades, Maria has been a quiet fixture at Rogers Centre. She’s the one who paints the batter’s box before every home stand, drags the infield at 3 a.m. after concerts, and stays until the last blade of grass is perfect.

She works double shifts during playoffs, often sleeping in the groundskeeper lounge so she doesn’t miss a call.

Despite earning a modest wage, she’s never once complained. Co-workers say she’s the first to bring Tim Hortons for the crew on cold April mornings and the last to leave after a rainout.

“She’s the heart of this stadium,” said Blue Jays head groundskeeper Ryan McBride. “Players know her by name. She calls them all ‘sweetie.’ Vlad has always had a soft spot for her.”

Vlad’s History of Quiet Generosity

This isn’t the first time Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has changed someone’s life without seeking credit.

Last Christmas, he paid off his mother’s mortgage in the Dominican Republic. In 2024, he quietly covered medical bills for a young fan battling cancer. When a Rogers Centre security guard mentioned his daughter needed braces, Vlad sent a $15,000 check the next day.

But something about Maria’s selflessness struck a deeper chord.

“She didn’t know who I was at first,” Vlad said in a post-game interview, still emotional. “She just saw someone who needed help. In a world where everybody wants something, she wanted nothing. That’s rare. That’s real.”

A City Celebrates

Toronto has fallen in love with the story. Local businesses are stepping up: a dealership offered free maintenance on the truck for life. A restaurant chain promised Maria free meals forever.

Even Tim Hortons sent a year’s supply of coffee with a card that read, “For the woman who keeps our Blue Jays field perfect and our hearts full.”

As for Maria? She drove her new truck to work the next day, parked in the employees’ lot, and was back on the field by 7 a.m. with her rake.

When asked if she’ll ever retire now that life just got a lot easier, she laughed.

“Retire? And miss watching Vlad hit bombs from the best seat in the house? Not a chance.”

Final Thoughts

In a sports world often dominated by contracts, trades, and controversy, the story of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Maria Thompson is a reminder of something simple but profound: kindness still matters and sometimes, it comes full circle in the most beautiful ways.

From a flat tire in a dark parking garage to a white pickup truck that will carry Maria and her family for years to come this is the kind of moment that makes you proud to be a Blue Jays fan.

And somewhere tonight, as the lights shine over Rogers Centre, a groundskeeper with a new truck and a full heart is dragging the infield, smiling a little wider than usual.