The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the deepest teams in baseball, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes them a force that gives the defending champions fits.
The 26-year-old entered Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-for-15 with three walks and three runs scored over the previous three contests. He was also slashing .414/.493/.776 with six homers and 12 RBIs over 14 playoff games.
However, the Blue Jays needed Guerrero to continue his hot streak on Tuesday, as they were down 2-1 in the series after losing 6-5 in 18 innings on Monday. Luckily for them, the two-time Silver Slugger made team history, via Toronto’s social media.
Guerrero hit a two-run home run to left center off of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the top of the third inning to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead, giving him a franchise-record seven playoff homers for his career. The 6-foot, 245-pounder didn’t have a postseason home run before this year, but his production this October was enough to give him the record.
Guerrero passed Jose Bautista and Joe Carter on the all-time list.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Earning $500 Million Contract
Guerrero signed a 14-year, $500 million extension with Toronto in April, forgoing unrestricted free agency, per Spotrac. The five-time All-Star is showing why that was a smart move on the team’s part.
Although the Blue Jays gave Guerrero one of baseball’s biggest contracts, their total payroll is still almost $95 million lower than Los Angeles’s this year, per Spotrac. The Dodgers lead baseball with a $355.02 million payroll.
Toronto is showing that it’s possible to keep up with the highest-paid roster in the sport without spending nearly as much. Players like Guerrero, outfielder/designated hitter George Springer, shortstop Bo Bichette, catcher Alejandro Kirk, and ace pitcher Kevin Gausman are just a few core pieces responsible for the franchise’s best season since 1993.
Although Guerrero is one of baseball’s best players, the extension was also a leap of faith for the Blue Jays.. The Dominican-Canadian never hit better than .143 in the playoffs before 2025, so they banked on him continuing his regular-season production in the postseason moving forward.
Up next for Toronto is Game 5 in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Blue Jays will then host the Dodgers for Games 6 and 7, if necessary.
Game 5 will start at 8:00 p.m. on Fox.