TORONTO — Kevin Gausman is a simple pitcher, which is what makes him so complicated.
Up and down, up and down, Gausman toys with hitters and teases their eyes. When he is at his very best, he needs just two pitches to bewilder the batter, each of them disguised as one another.
Thursday afternoon was a Gausman masterclass, a complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts and just two hits allowed on an even 100 pitches, just one pitch shy of the Blue Jays’ first “Maddux” since Mark Buehrle pulled it off on June 3, 2015. The 6-0 win to take the series from the Astros was Gausman’s finest performance of the season to follow up eight innings of one-run ball on Friday in the Bronx.
“He seems to be peaking at the right time,” said manager John Schneider, who called this one of Gausman’s finest days in a Blue Jays uniform. “And he wanted the ninth, which to me was a no-brainer. His last two [starts] have just been outstanding. He’s on a roll.”
It’s Toronto’s first nine-inning complete game since July 27, 2024, and its first complete-game shutout since June 8 of that year. Those starters? Kevin Gausman and Kevin Gausman.
Suddenly, Gausman is making a case to be the Blue Jays’ Game 1 starter in the postseason. It looks like they’re headed straight to the American League Division Series as Toronto and Detroit have a comfortable cushion for the top two spots in the AL, which means they should have all the time to tinker with schedules and set up this rotation exactly as they want it.
After watching these past two performances from Gausman, how can you not be tempted to roll him out as early and often as possible?
Shane Bieber still has a fine case, himself, making this another good problem in a season full of them, but it’s all about peaking at just the right time. This is the best Gausman has looked in a Blue Jays uniform since 2023, when he finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting, and it’s not just his pitches that keep you watching. There’s a little spice to Gausman right now, pumping his fists and spinning off the mound as he mows down hitter after hitter.
“I love seeing that from anyone, whether it’s a starter, a reliever or a pitcher,” Gausman said. “It’s OK to show emotion when you are totally present in the moment. Kevin is very even-keeled, so I think that rubs off. When you see a guy of his caliber reacting like that in real time, it rubs off on everyone.”
