TORONTO — Louis Varland’s usage out of the bullpen this October has reached historic heights.
Taking over for Kevin Gausman in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the World Series, Varland tied the record for most appearances in a single postseason with his 14th game pitched, now sharing the honor with Paul Assenmacher (Cleveland, 1997) and Brandon Morrow (Dodgers, 2017).
The 27-year-old Blue Jays right-hander showed why manager John Schneider has so much faith in him, tossing a perfect seventh, then retiring Miguel Rojas on a flyout for the first out of the eighth to keep Toronto’s deficit at two runs.
Despite the heavy usage, Varland has shown no signs of fatigue. His fastball was as electric as ever in the seventh, hitting 98.1 mph as the putaway pitch on his strikeout of Kiké Hernández.
After throwing 17 pitches in Game 6, Varland has more than a decent shot to break the record for most appearances in a single postseason should we get to a Game 7. It would be all hands on deck for this Toronto bullpen, and Varland, who has not allowed a run in nine of those 14 games pitched, has proven to be about as reliable as they come for this club.
