He said he was "born ready."
Now Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has the Toronto Blue Jays heading to the World Series, and he's got some extra hardware to take with him.
Guerrero was named the American League Championship Series MVP after Toronto's Game 7 win on Monday night.
But the face of the franchise was quick to turn the attention to Blue Jays fans.
"This means a lot you know, we worked so hard for this and (we) thank the fans for bringing the energy," Guerrero said after accepting the award. "We need you guys, we need the energy every day. Thank you for bringing the energy. We do this for you guys."
The 26-year-old superstar led the ALCS with a 1.330 OPS, tied for the lead with 10 hits and bashed three home runs.
After signing a $500-million contract — the second-richest contract in MLB history — at the start of the season, the Blue Jays' investment is paying off.
And while Guerrero was clearly overwhelmed by emotion after the pennant-clinching win, he isn't fully satisfied.
"The jobs not finished," Guerrero said. "We got four more to go."
The Blue Jays will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, starting with Game 1 on Friday night (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, Sportsnet and Sportsnet+).
Watch the Blue Jays in the World Series on Sportsnet
It all comes down to Game 7 as the Blue Jays try to win their first World Series title since 1993. Watch Game 7 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Broadcast schedule
The perennial all-star first baseman has had the best statistical post-season in Blue Jays history. Guerrero first broke the franchise record for home runs in a single playoff run with his fifth in the Blue Jays' Game 4 win on Thursday.
Guerrero followed that by tying Jose Bautista and Joe Carter for the most Blue Jays post-season homers all-time with his sixth on Sunday. All six have come this October.
The Montreal-born slugger has a .442 batting average, 1.440 OPS and leads all players in the post-season with 19 hits, 12 RBIs and his six home runs.
Not only is Guerrero having the best post-season in MLB and arguably the best in Blue Jays history, his numbers also rank amongst the best all-time.
Coming into Monday's Game 7, Guerrero's 302 wRC+ in the 2025 post-season – which adjusts for external factors like ballpark and era — ranked second amongst all individual playoff performances since division play was introduced in 1969.
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