TORONTO -- Kevin Gausman has been with the Blue Jays for four seasons, long enough to see the city and its ballpark change around him. He hears the bassline thumping from the rooftop patio, sees grandstands packed shoulder to shoulder and feels the hum of a building that hasn’t sounded this alive in nearly a decade.
“We have really loved playing at home, especially the last two months,” Gausman said. “We feel the love when we play here. Even just driving around the city, you notice everybody -- they used to be wearing Yankees hats, and now you see a lot more Blue Jays hats in Toronto.”
Rogers Centre, he added, “kind of feels like one big party some nights.” That’s the atmosphere the Blue Jays expect when Gausman walks to the mound Sunday night for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Mariners.
The 34-year-old right-hander will look to set the tone as Toronto plays in its first ALCS since 2016. Gausman started Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Yankees last week, hurling 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a 10-1 Toronto win.
Though his final two regular-season starts were uneven, Gausman’s ALDS effort resembled his early-September dominance, when he allowed only two runs across his first three outings of the month -- including a complete-game shutout of the Astros on Sept. 11.
“Gausy has been doing it for us all season long,” said outfielder Myles Straw. “Any time he gets the ball, I feel like we've got a good chance. He brings the energy; I love watching him compete. He's a big-time competitor, and I think the Blue Jays fans are going to be ready to see him take it on tomorrow.”
For Gausman, the matchup carries an extra layer. His first postseason start as a Blue Jay came on this same mound in 2022 -- Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against Seattle -- when Toronto’s 8-1 lead evaporated into a loss that haunted the club all winter.
Three years later: same opponent, higher stakes and a chance for redemption.
“I’m looking forward to him getting the series off to a strong start,” said manager John Schneider. “There’s something about his demeanor and his presence where, on the day he’s pitching, everybody feels a little more confident.”
Gausman went 10-11 with a 3.59 ERA this season, striking out 189 batters in 193 innings. His signature splitter remains one of baseball’s most devastating pitches, a bread-and-butter offering that will keep the Mariners on alert.
He last saw Seattle on May 9, picking up a win with 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball at T-Mobile Park.
“I’m a little different than most guys; I’m not Chris Bassitt,” Gausman said. “I don’t have seven pitches. I don’t have to do as much deep-diving. I'll definitely take a look at their tendencies and kind of what they've changed, if I think they've changed their approach at all.
“But that's kind of more something I can look at on video. I didn't come up with a new pitch this turn through. I'm going to throw fastballs and splits and sprinkle in some sliders. That's kind of my game.”
Seattle will counter with 27-year-old Bryce Miller on short rest (he started Game 4 of the ALDS on Wednesday). The Mariners are coming off a 15-inning thriller that eliminated the Tigers on Friday, and Miller was the only starter on the roster not to throw that night. While it’s assumed Bryan Woo (pectoral inflammation) will be added to the club’s ALCS roster, he will not be ready to go in Game 1, so Miller it is.
Gausman owns a 2.94 ERA in 12 career regular-season outings (11 starts) against the Mariners, whose powerful lineup -- headlined by switch-hitting catcher and AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh -- can make pitchers pay for mistakes.
It’s Gausman’s second straight postseason start against an MVP contender; his bases-loaded strikeout of Aaron Judge with no outs in the sixth inning of ALDS Game 1 was a pivotal moment in that series.
“When you have a guy with good stuff and you have a guy that can process what's going on in real time, you feel really good about his decision-making in those spots,” Schneider said.
He praised Raleigh’s 60-homer season: “What a year he’s had.” Raleigh is 6-for-14 (.429) lifetime -- including the postseason -- off Gausman with three homers, but the pitcher brushed off the stat.
“I’ve gotten him out before,” Gausman said. “Now it’s just about mixing pitches and keeping him off balance.”
With the roof expected to be closed, the sound inside Rogers Centre should be deafening. The city’s baseball revival has become a civic event -- office towers flying Blue Jays flags, fans crowding downtown bars and a ballpark pulsing with energy.
“Any time you’re handed the ball for the most important game up to this point, you’re fired up and ready,” Gausman said. “I’m excited to see what it’s going to be like here. I’m ready to go.”