The sting of a World Series defeat still lingers for the Toronto Blue Jays, despite an aggressive offseason that saw the franchise commit $353 million in new contracts. Yet while the roster has been reinforced, franchise cornerstone Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains candid about last year’s Fall Classic — particularly when it comes to facing Shohei Ohtani.
Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year, $500 million extension in April to remain in Toronto through age 41, reflected on Blue Jays’ loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a recent Spanish-language interview with journalist Yancen Pujols. While acknowledging the scale of the challenge, the All-Star slugger delivered a surprising assessment of Ohtani’s impact on the mound.
‘Facing Shohei Ohtani really wasn’t that difficult’
“We knew we were playing against a Dream Team,” Guerrero said. “Nobody believed in us. People thought they were just going to beat us easily from the beginning.”
Despite Shohei Ohtani’s global reputation as a two-way phenom, Guerrero downplayed the difficulty of facing him as a pitcher during the Series.
“Facing Ohtani really wasn’t that difficult, honestly,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said. “(Yoshinobu) Yamamoto was. He was nasty. He was the MVP. He takes the bat out of your hands. That guy keeps the ball down at your knees and strikes everybody out.”
The remarks offer a rare, unfiltered glimpse into how Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup viewed the matchup on baseball’s biggest stage.
Yamamoto’s dominance looms larger
While Shohei Ohtani started two games in the Series, Guerrero pointed to fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the true difference-maker.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered across three appearances, including a decisive Game 7 outing where he emerged from the bullpen to extinguish a potential Toronto rally before closing out extra innings to secure a second consecutive championship for Los Angeles.
For Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the takeaway is clear: reputation does not always dictate difficulty. Even against a Dodgers squad many labeled unbeatable, Toronto Blue Jays believed they could compete.
As Toronto reloads for another postseason push, Guerrero’s bold claim underscores both his confidence and the hunger driving a team eager to turn heartbreak into redemption.