Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got a genuinely mixed reception Friday night, one day after apologizing to fans.

He'd spoken to reporters outside the clubhouse before Friday's game, addressing the viral comments from his Spanish-language podcast interview.

"The main reason I'm here is because I regret my comments the other day," Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron. "I feel, from the bottom of my heart, that my fans, my teammates needed an apology from me."

He didn't specify exactly what he was apologizing for, sidestepping a follow-up seeking clarification on his original point. Still, addressing it directly rather than letting it linger into the offseason counts for something.

He clarified the comments weren't meant to suggest he didn't care about hitting home runs or that his work ethic had slipped.

His Hall of Fame father, longtime Expos outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, was the one who told him he'd made a mistake and needed to apologize.

"It has been a disappointing year for me," Guerrero admitted. "I couldn't help my team more to accomplish our goals, which is hard for me."

How fans actually responded when he stepped to the plate

Fans delivered their own verdict Friday night. When Guerrero came up in the first inning, only a few scattered boos got drowned out by applause.

The boos got slightly louder after a dribbler out, then louder again following a fifth-inning strikeout.

By the seventh, a section of fans started chanting "Vladdy! Vladdy!" during his at-bat, erupting when he drove in a run with a broken-bat single to right.

There was no reaction at all on his eighth-inning groundout. He finished the night 1-for-5, a mixed line to match the mixed reception.

Kazuma Okamoto carried much of the offense, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Alejandro Kirk and Nathan Lukes added RBI singles in the 6-5 win.

Starter Jose Soriano escaped without a decision despite allowing five runs on eight hits across three innings.

Guerrero could have avoided most of this controversy by apologizing sooner, or not speaking to that podcast at all. He made a mistake, and there's little reason to keep dwelling on it now that both sides have had their say.

Whether these comments resurface again likely depends entirely on how he performs next season. A strong bounce-back year, and this fades. Another struggle, and the old quotes won't take long to come back around.

For now, there are two games left to play.