TORONTO — For most of the night, Kevin Gausman had Rogers Centre wrapped around his finger. Then, with a pull, it came undone.
Gausman’s shutout was broken up after 5 2/3 dominant innings by a home run from Cal Raleigh, the monster in the middle of the Mariners’ lineup who the Blue Jays will be planning the rest of their week around. Big blows from Raleigh, like Aaron Judge in the ALDS against the Yankees, can be inescapable, but the two batters that followed Raleigh decided Game 1, a 3-1 loss that opens Toronto’s ALCS with a thud.
After walking Julio Rodríguez, Gausman was lifted after throwing just 76 pitches. Similar to when the Blue Jays lifted Gausman after just 75 pitches and an identical 5 2/3 innings in Game 1 of the ALDS, the move felt somewhat premeditated, but this time, it didn’t work.
After Brendon Little allowed Rodríguez to scamper into scoring position on a spiked curveball, he left a belt-high heater over the inside edge of the plate that Jorge Polanco lined into left field, a rocket to put the Mariners ahead.
“You’re trying to read the situation, and every game is different,” manager John Schneider said. “Kind of wanted to turn Polanco around. In hindsight, you try to make him chase one more time with [Josh] Naylor sitting there on deck. Those are things you learn from going into tomorrow.”
Just a few days ago in New York, Schneider sat on the podium explaining a bullpen day masterclass, a win over the Yankees that may have been his finest hour as a manager. After tough losses, the questions sound a little different, but Schneider was completely open with his thought progress.
“I know Kevin had retired him twice. I get it. I totally get it,” Schneider said. “I think it’s a good thing to turn switch-hitters around at times, and I think it depends on who you’re bringing in and what they’ll be featuring, too. That’s what made sense in the moment.”
The game had felt so fully in the Blue Jays’ control, even with just a 1-0 lead, because of Gausman and Gausman alone. He was spotting his fastball, getting the Mariners to bite on his incredible splitter and even bouncing off the mound with a little spice in the big moments.
“I wish there was a little more swing and miss. You’ve got a fully rested bullpen,” Schneider said. “I wanted him to get Julio. It’s pick your poison there. I was just reading the situation after the walk, and you’re trying to squash it. You’re not expecting a wild pitch and things like that. I thought Kevin threw the ball really well. He did what we expected him to do.”
He wasn’t running out of gas, either. Gausman’s last pitch to Rodríguez was his fourth-hardest of the night, a fastball at 96.4 mph.
“We’re in the playoffs. You don’t usually see guys go that deep into games,” Gausman said, shutting down any notion that this was a quick hook. “I try to just do my job as much as I can. I gave up a home run and a walk. Up to that point, I’d been throwing the ball really well and had the game right there. This one’s on me.”
Gausman’s frustration is understandable, but the self critique is a bit harsh. Everything was pointed in the direction of this being the most important performance of Gausman’s career. Instead, Game 1 is stuck being a lesson on the fragility of the postseason, where games are tight and only great teams are left.
This is all tough to swallow because, even when you consider the Raleigh home run and the early exit, Gausman gave the Blue Jays enough. If you’d offered Schneider 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball from Gausman going up against Bryce Miller, who was on short rest, you’d have gotten a nod and a “hell yeah” in return.
Prior to Raleigh’s home run, Gausman had retired 15 Mariners batters in a row. Blame can be pointed in many directions, mostly at an offense that recorded just one hit after George Springer’s leadoff homer, but not at Gausman. Sometimes, the guy who launched 60 home runs and went head-to-head with Judge for the AL MVP Award just gets you.
“I’m more upset with walking Julio right after that,” Gausman said, still stewing on it. “Obviously, that was the difference maker.”
Now, for the first time in the postseason, the Blue Jays are down. They hit their way through the ALDS, and if they’d carried even an ounce of that offensive firepower into Game 1, we’d all be talking about a rock-solid outing from Gausman instead.
