Kevin

Gausman

Gausman allowed all three runs in the third inning on an RBI double by Will Smith and a two-run single by Mookie Betts. Outside of that frame the right-hander pitched well, but that was more than enough offense for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers. Gausman picked up losses in both of his World Series starts, but he pitched well enough to win. The 34-year-old will likely make his next appearance at or near the top of the Toronto rotation in 2026, as there’s one more year left on his contract.

The 34-year-old right-hander struck out six batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. He allowed a two-out double to Freddie Freeman and an RBI single to Will Smith in the opening inning to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. Gausman then settled in and retired each of the next 17 hitters in order before serving up a solo shot to Will Smith with one out in the seventh inning. Two batters later Max Muncy tagged him for a solo shot as well before Gausman turned the ball over to the bullpen. Gausman got 11 whiffs on 82 pitches on the night, posting a strong CSW of 38 percent. He’ll get the ball once again in Game 6 on Friday in Toronto, provided the Series isn’t wrapped up by then.

Gausman, 34, gave up three hits, three walks, and struck out four. There was hard contact, but the only blemish was a solo homer from Eugenio Suárez in the second inning. He was able to wiggle out of jams outside of that roundtripper, and he looked solid in both games. Gausman’s next start will likely come in the World Series — if Toronto advances, of course — but he could be available out of the bullpen in Game 7, if necessary.

No surprise here, but Blue Jays manager John Schneider made it official prior to Thursday’s Game 4 contest. He also added that rookie Trey Yesavage could be available out of the bullpen, if needed in an elimination game scenario. Gausman allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings in last weekend’s series opener in Toronto. The 34-year-old veteran ace gets the ball on Friday night in Seattle for his third start of the postseason with the Blue Jays either facing elimination or looking to pull ahead in the best-of-seven series depending on the outcome of Game 4.

Gausman had his way with the Mariners until Cal Raleigh took him deep with two outs in the sixth. Julio Rodríguez walked afterwards, and that was it for Gausman. He exited with the score 1-1 and then watched as Brandon Little threw a wild pitch and gave up a Jorge Polanco RBI single to put Gausman in line for the loss. If John Schneider had it to do over again, one imagines he would have stuck with Gausman, who was at just 76 pitches and had gotten Polanco to ground out twice. Gausman will be lined up to start again in Game 5.

No surprise here. Gausman draws the starting assignment for Sunday’s best-of-seven series opener after allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings last weekend in his first start of the postseason against the Yankees. The 34-year-old veteran ace will be making his 10th career postseason appearance and fifth start since 2014. It’ll likely be Bryce Miller starting a de facto bullpen game for Seattle following Friday night’s 15-inning marathon against Detroit to punch their ticket to the ALCS.

The 34-year-old hurler punched out three batters on the day while issuing a pair of walks. He got himself into a major jam in the sixth inning, loading the bases with nobody out. He struck out Aaron Judge to get the first out there before walking Cody Bellinger to force in a run. Gausman then got Ben Rice to pop out to third base before turning the ball over to Louis Varland who struck out Giancarlo Stanton to end the threat. Gausman got 12 whiffs on 75 pitches on the day — 10 of them on his splitter — while posting a CSW of 31 percent. He’ll be ready and waiting if the Yankees can push the series to a decisive fifth game on Friday in Toronto.

Gausman was ineffective in his last start Sunday against the Rays, but he was the most consistent of the starters for Toronto in 2025 and will get the nod to open the series. He’ll likely be followed by Shane Bieber, and rookie Trey Yesavage will get the nod for Game 3 in New York. Chris Bassitt or Max Scherzer will likely start Game 4, if necessary, but the Blue Jays could go to Gausman on three days rest if they don’t feel comfortable with that.

Gausman was handed a 5-1 lead, but he almost blew it while allowing three runs in the fourth before being pulled. The 34-year-old finishes a solid — if uneven — 2025 campaign with a 3.59 ERA and a 189/50 K/BB over 193 innings. It seems likely Gausman will make an early start for the Blue Jays in the ALDS; be it Saturday or Sunday.

Toronto hands the ball to Gausman, who has posted a stellar 1.88 ERA across four September starts, with the AL East division title on the line. A victory over the Rays hands the Blue Jays their first division title since 2015 and means they enter the postseason as the junior circuit’s top-overall seed. They can also win the division if the Yankees lose to the Orioles.