You might think Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s value to the Blue Jays is all about his bat, but Game 4 showed he’s a lot more than just a hitter. Speaking of that game, all eyes were on Max Scherzer. His start wasn’t exactly smooth as he walked two batters in the first inning and gave up a solo homer to Josh Naylor in the second. But after that, we saw vintage Scherzer take over.

Scherzer ended up holding Seattle to just two runs on three hits, with four walks and five strikeouts. And while he finally notched his first postseason win since 2019, Guerrero quietly played a big part in making that happen. Yes, that’s exactly what you want from your franchise cornerstone, stepping up in ways that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.

“Vladdy Jr. yells out to Max Scherzer mid-inning that he’s tipping his pitches after he gives up two straight walks. Scherzer draws a double play on the very next pitch and locks in for the rest of the night.” A small clip of Scherzer pitching in the 1st inning went viral, showing how Guerrero is assisting the veteran.

The night started the wrong way for Scherzer as he walked two Seattle batters. And with how he was pitching, Guerrero from the infield was clear that he was tipping his pitches. What followed was a gentle reminder at the mound and a double play on the next pitch!

Well, Guerrero’s bat is already living up to that massive $500 million price tag. He crushed his second homer in as many games on Thursday night. And that came after notching his 15th hit of the postseason with a single in the third inning. What’s more is that he is now a part of an elite company, the fourth player ever to rack up 15+ hits and 5+ homers in his first eight games of a single postseason. Thus, joining Kike Hernandez, Carlos Beltran, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Manager John Schneider summed it up perfectly: “Vladdy, a couple of years ago, might have been a little stubborn. Vladdy right now, in this moment in 2025, can take a step back, process what he’s doing, then he leans into his teammates and leans into his coaches. He’s made some adjustments.”

And those adjustments are showing…

Guerrero looks like a completely different player — more mature, more composed, and definitely more locked in since signing that long-term deal. Heading into Game 4 of the Championship Series, he was hitting an insane .455 (15-for-33) with five homers and 11 RBIs in eight postseason games. So yeah, his bat alone is worth the money right now. But the way he’s putting the team first and bringing that energy on the field? That’s just a bonus.

Vladimir Guerrero’s World Series dream is proceeding towards reality

Remember when Bo Bichette talked about his dream with Guerrero? “We’ve always had huge goals together,” Bichette said. “To win as much as we can, win the World Series, if not more.”

This era of Blue Jays baseball has pretty much been defined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and, until now, by a string of postseason heartbreaks. If you remember, the one that still haunts him the most is that 2023 pickoff against the Twins. He was caught drifting off second base as the potential tying run, with Carlos Correa sneaking in behind him. Four innings later, the Jays were out of the playoffs, losing by two.

Fast forward to now, though, and it feels like Guerrero and the team are rewriting that story. The Blue Jays are just two wins away from the World Series. And this time they’re doing it with one of the hottest offenses in baseball. As SportsNet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out, Toronto leads all postseason teams in nearly every major category — home runs (17), batting average (.301), on-base percentage (.353), slugging (.547), and wRC+ (148). They’ve even scored 18 more runs than the next best team.

And with Max Scherzer looking like his vintage self again, Jays fans can’t help but dream a little… Maybe, just maybe, this is the year Toronto brings back that 1993 magic.