LOS ANGELES — His face never changed. Stoicism consumed him. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doesn’t chase moments. He doesn’t chase praise. Even after dismantling Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series, Guerrero didn’t flinch. No smile. No celebration. Just the standard.
“For me, it’s one game,” Guerrero said through a team translator following the Blue Jays’ 6-2 win over the Dodgers that evened the 2025 Fall Classic at 2-2. “I mean the series It’s not over yet. I mean this is the first one to win four games.”
Guerrero doesn’t care about the spotlight. But he doesn’t run from it, either. He knows the investment that Toronto made by making him the face of the franchise with his lucrative deal that will pay him $500 million through 2039. He knows that George Springer’s oblique injury might cost him the rest of this series. He understands and welcomes the weight of carrying a country and an organization that hasn’t seen a World Series in over three decades.
And Guerrero is carrying it mightily.
That’s why when Ohtani struck him out on three pitches in the first inning — finishing him with a sweeper in the dirt, Guerrero never blinked. He never questioned whether he’d get to Ohtani. Just like the Dodgers’ unicorn, Guerrero is a superhero in his own right. Hitting is who he is. Competing is what he does.
So when Ohtani went back to the sweeper in the third inning on a 2-1 count, he left it up. It didn’t break — it just spun. Guerrero launched it for a two-run shot. A subtle bat flip followed. Then a not-so-subtle roar toward his teammates, demanding they follow his lead. Toronto got to Ohtani for six hits and four runs over six innings.
“He’s unbelievable,” Jays infielder Ernie Clement said of Guerrero after Game 4. “He’s a huge spark tonight with that, that homer, and he just continues to amaze us. It was awesome to see him have that moment. He just keeps doing it. It’s across 50-60 at-bats at this point where he’s … he’s just been impossible to get out. It’s why we’re at where we’re at.”
Ohtani has certainly had his moments. In Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers, he threw six scoreless innings, struck out 10, and hit three homers. He’s reached heights no one has dared to fathom, reaching base nine times in a never-ending Game 3 of this series with two doubles, two homers and five walks. But Ohtani has had some cold stretches this postseason. Guerrero has not. Guerrero has been the constant.
This October, Guerrero is hitting .419/.500/.806 with seven homers — making him the Blue Jays’ all-time postseason leader in the category. He’s made you pay attention. Not just with his bat. But with his glove, and with his baserunning, an underrated part of his game.
Take Monday’s Game 3 as an example. Though Toronto lost, Guerrero’s talent was on full display. Bo Bichette softly hit a grounder toward second baseman Tommy Edman that went under his glove. But look at Guerrero, peeking at where the ball is, noticing it and immediately sprinting to third.
He wound up scoring in that frame.
In the sixth, with the game tied, Kiké Hernández hit a grounder in the hole to Andrés Giménez. Giménez got to it, but his long throw on a long hop didn’t beat Hernández to the bag. Teoscar Hernández advanced to second and tried for third. Guerrero saw the throw was off-target, came off the bag, and fired a one-hop strike to third to nab Dodgers slugger and end the inning.
“He’s an exceptional player,” Jays starter Kevin Gausman said. “Especially the last month or so. I think he’s really took to the leadership role. And he’s always been a leader, but he’s really kind of doing it on on all aspects of the game.”
The Dodgers looked tired Tuesday. Maybe a hangover from Monday’s 18-inning fight. Mookie Betts still hasn’t found it, going from an All-Star force to just another guy. Freddie Freeman has had his moments, but the bullpen is taxed, and the starters are looking beatable. The Dodgers are being tested in a way they haven’t been all postseason. That’s the cost of trying to repeat. The cost of facing Guerrero.
On the other side, Guerrero’s play has the Blue Jays two wins away from a World Series title. Tuesday’s win guarantees at least a Game 6 back home at Rogers Centre with a whole country watching, clinging to every pitch, believing this could be the Blue Jays’ chance to go from lingering in potential to fully blossomed.
Guerrero doesn’t care about his moment. That one, however, he will.
“You just gotta keep going,” he said. “You gotta go out there and continue competing. And whoever wins, wins.”
