TORONTO — As the lights were turned off at Rogers Centre during Friday's pre-game ceremony, Kevin Gausman was forced to warm up in the dark. It's a tough task for any pitcher, so Alejandro Kirk wasn't too worried when the right-hander fired two fastballs in the dirt.
"When the lights went on again, he was fine," Kirk said with a grin.
The Toronto Blue Jays catcher had a sense in the bullpen that Gausman brought his A-stuff to this opening-day assignment. His fastball command and velocity were there, while the splitter looked exceptionally sharp.
Kirk felt it would translate into the game, and that's exactly what played out during the Blue Jays' dramatic 3-2 win over the Athletics.
Gausman authored a record-setting performance in front of a buoyant 42,728 crowd that rode the emotions of Jeff Hoffman's blown save and Andres Gimenez's subsequent walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.
"I heard him say that it felt like we never left here," Daulton Varsho said of Gausman. "And honestly, it looked like he never left. Nothing changed for him."
Gausman's previous appearance at Rogers Centre came in Game 6 of the World Series, when he held the Dodgers to three runs over six innings. And while Friday allowed the Blue Jays to finally move on from that heartbreaking Fall Classic, the pre-game ceremony featured a video tribute to the 2025 team along with an unveiling of the American League championship banner.
"I looked at the banner," said Gausman. "But I didn't really watch the video. I felt like I couldn't. I had to stay locked in."
Locked in he certainly was.
Gausman opened the game by striking out the side on 15 pitches. Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers went down swinging on nasty splitters and when Gausman punched out Tyler Soderstrom on a high fastball to end the frame, he pumped his fist and let out a strong show of emotion.
"Honestly, I was more fired up because I threw the pitch right where I wanted to throw it," said Gausman. "More often than not, when I get fired up is when I execute the pitch that I wanted. I wanted to throw the fastball up and in and I did.
"(But) swing and miss to punch out the side on opening day?" he added. "Yeah, I was pretty fired up."
The 13-year veteran, who was pitching in his first opening day with the Blue Jays and third of his career, was perfect through three innings. He was completely overwhelming the talented A’s lineup and by that point had thrown 28 strikes against just nine balls.
It was vintage Gausman, pitching north and south, pairing high fastballs with splitters down in the zone. His only mistake, though, came in the fourth inning, when Langeliers opened the game’s scoring by launching a 3-1 pitch into the bullpen in left field.
"I only threw one change up and it was the home run," said Gausman with a wry smile. "So, I'll reevaluate that pitch going forward."
Other than the homer, Gausman was perfect over his six frames. He tossed 83 pitches (60 strikes) and struck out 11 batters to set a new opening day record for the Blue Jays. The right-hander generated 17 whiffs (10 with his splitter) and featured a fastball that sat at 94.7 m.p.h. and topped out at 96.8 m.p.h.
"The way he pitched in the playoffs is what I saw from him today," said Kirk. "He was just out there competing, making pitches."
Gausman, who's in the final campaign of his five-year deal, was an integral contributor during the Blue Jays' post-season run, compiling a 2.93 ERA over 30.2 innings. Manager John Schneider said recently that handing the ball to Gausman on opening day was a "no-brainer" because the 35-year-old could be trusted to keep his cool and navigate all the hoopla associated with it.
"He's so mellow," Schneider said. "He did a tremendous job of being normal. Days like today, you just have to be normal."
Schneider alluded to Gausman warming up in the dark and the right-hander admitted that he wasn't fazed by it. He noted that during Friday night games at Rogers Centre last season, the lights would go off as a City Connect hype video played in the stadium, and so he’d experienced this a few times before.
"It can throw you off a little bit,” said Gausman. “But, at the same time, you gotta find a way to lock it in."
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