On Monday night, Shohei Ohtani announced his arrival in the Fall Classic with a historic performance and in the next game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. held serve.

LOS ANGELES — From a marketing perspective, it’s easy to single out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani in the 2025 World Series. They’re the faces of their respective organizations and that’s reflected in the commemorative baseballs featuring their images that are selling inside Dodger Stadium. 

And while it took a while for that to translate onto the baseball field, it now finally feels like this series belongs to the two superstars. 

On Monday night, Ohtani announced his arrival in the Fall Classic with a historic performance and in the next game, Guerrero Jr. held serve.

With the Toronto Blue Jays in need of a win on the heels of a gutting, 18-inning loss, Guerrero Jr. took Ohtani deep early in Tuesday’s Game 4, instantly shifting momentum and setting the tone in an eventual 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that evened the World Series at two games apiece.

With Ohtani making his first World Series appearance as a pitcher and Guerrero Jr. at the dish, it’s the exact matchup that would ensure those baseballs fly off the shelves. 

“It’s special to watch,” said Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement. “Two guys like that at the top of our game. It’s cool to take a step back and realize what’s going on there.”

Guerrero Jr. had struck out swinging on a nasty sweeper from Ohtani in the opening frame and in the third, with one runner on and a 2-1 count, Ohtani left the same pitch at the top of the zone. Guerrero Jr. unleashed a massive cut and sent the offering into the left-field stands to give the Blue Jays a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. 

“It was very important for me to hit that home run and from that point on, we got going,” Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “I respect Ohtani a lot and I know basically myself and him, we are the talk of the series. But when we are between those two lines, we’re competing. It felt good that tonight I could hit that homer against him.” 

Added Blue Jays’ manager John Schneider: “The swing that Vlad put on it was elite. After last night and all the recognition that went into Shohei individually and he’s on the mound today, it’s a huge swing from Vlad. It’s a huge swing to get us going. I think that gives you some momentum.”

The homer was Guerrero’s first in the World Series and seventh of these playoffs. He moved past Joe Carter and Jose Bautista and is now the franchise’s all-time post-season home run leader. 

He’s hitting .419/.500/.806 in October, and for historical perspective, consider this: Guerrero Jr. has reached base 36 times during the playoffs, and the only player to do so more in their first 15 games of a post-season was Barry Bonds (38).

The first baseman is so hot that he’s punishing pitches that are typically his kryptonite. Guerrero Jr. is hitting just .227 on sweepers this season, his lowest batting average on any pitch (minimum 185). And while Ohtani left his offering hanging, Guerrero Jr. made him pay.

“I was just looking for a pitch to do damage and I saw it right there up in the zone, and I could do damage,” said Guerrero Jr. when asked if he was looking for a sweeper in his second at-bat given that he was punched out by it earlier. 

“Obviously, looking back in hindsight, it was just a regrettable pitch, something I wish that I could have taken back,” Ohtani said. “It was just a bad spot, that location.”

Blue Jays’ hitting coach David Popkins worked with Guerrero Jr. on some adjustments to his routine during the ALCS and the slugger has taken off since then. While Popkins preferred not to share further details, he said it’s Guerrero Jr. who has been driving any game-to-game adjustments. 

“You just got to stand back, grab some popcorn and enjoy the show,” Popkins said. “Right now, mechanically, he’s really good. But mentally, this is the best I’ve seen him.” 

The coach also harkened back to Guerrero Jr.’s quote one day before he was awarded ALCS MVP honours. 

“When he said, ‘I’m born ready,’ he is literally born ready,” said Popkins. “He has experience and knowledge, the emotional control to handle these moments. It’s been just jaw-dropping to watch him perform on a daily basis and make those adjustments that he does.”

What’s also impressed teammates is that amidst this success, Guerrero Jr. has remained the same, fun-loving character in between games and off the field. Outfielder Myles Straw, considered by some to be the heartbeat of the clubhouse, said that an enduring image of Guerrero Jr. these days is him simply walking around in his compression shorts, looking “casual, calm and collected.”

“He shows up happy, ready to play every single day and it’s a privilege to get to play with him,” Straw said. 

However, Guerrero Jr. hasn’t always been happy with Straw, per se. Ahead of the ALCS, Straw remarked that the first baseman told him he wasn’t going to speak with Straw for a week. It’s unclear to what degree the outfielder is joking, but he said they’re on good terms right now. 

“We had a little group gathering and he wasn’t invited, and I was,” said Straw with the hint of a grin. “He said I didn’t invite him.”

If the Blue Jays secure two more wins, though, they’ll enjoy the grandest party they can imagine and Straw says if they accomplish that, he’ll happily endure more slights from Guerrero Jr.

“I mean, we got a maximum of three more games, so I think I can do pretty well until then,” said Straw. “And if we ended up winning it all, he can be mad at me for as long as he wants. We’ll have a long off-season, so if he wants to be mad for three months, that’s fine. 

“As long as we end this thing the right way.”

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