Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. named ALCS MVP, hailed by US media as Dodgers' biggest threat to championship

The Toronto Blue Jays secured the AL pennant by overcoming the Seattle Mariners in the critical seventh game of the ALCS, with their $500 million star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. named ALCS MVP. Judging by his playoff performance this season, Guerrero Jr. is genuinely a "Mr. October," hitting .442 with a 1.440 OPS, and he was also specifically identified by MLB's official site as the "batter the Dodgers must most watch out for."

Manager John Schneider said, "He’s the face of our team. I remember a conversation in my office back in April with Max Scherzer, where we told him, 'You are the new standard for this team; you need to learn how to speak and act.' Since then, he has been outstanding, fully aware of everything happening around him. Being the center of attention is quite challenging."

Guerrero Jr.’s English has become increasingly fluent, allowing him to represent the team in communications. Although the Blue Jays are a Canadian team, Guerrero Jr. is actually the only player born in Canada on the roster. Before Game 7, he famously said, "I was ready from the moment I was born," cementing his status as the team's true star.

Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer is also a key figure the Dodgers must guard against; he started Game 4 of the ALCS to help the Blue Jays stay alive (pitching 5.2 innings and allowing 2 runs). Scherzer briefly played for the Dodgers in 2021. "Springer," George Springer, who made a big impact in Game 7, comes from the Astros and was part of the 2017 World Series champions. That year, the Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games, a title later overshadowed by the notorious sign-stealing scandal.

This year marks the first World Series matchup between the Blue Jays and Dodgers. Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers was formerly a star with the Blue Jays (2017-2022). Both the Mariners and Blue Jays are his former teams, with his tenure in Toronto longer than in Los Angeles.