TORONTO – As Kevin Gausman took his first steps out of the home dugout to start the ninth inning, the crowd of 41,224 fans at Rogers Centre got up with him, giving the Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher a standing ovation.
They understood what he was trying to accomplish.
Gausman pitched a complete game shutout in his best start of the season as Toronto blanked the Houston Astros 6-0 on Thursday. It was the second time in Gausman’s career he’s accomplished the feat and the first time he’s done it at home.
The gesture from the fans meant a lot to Gausman.
“It was pretty cool but I was trying to do my best to kind of tone it out,” said Gausman outside Toronto’s clubhouse. “Honestly, that ninth inning, it got so loud I couldn’t really hear my PitchCom. But I’ll take that.
“It’s a pretty cool environment. As a starting pitcher, you rarely get those opportunities to be in the game, to do it at home was special.”
Gausman (10-10) struck out nine, allowing just two hits in the fourth complete game of his career. He has had only one other shutout in his 13-year Major League Baseball career: a 7-0 win for Toronto against the Oakland Athletics on June 8, 2024.
“Completely different. A lot more fans here, to be honest, that was a day game and so usually, a lot less fans,” said Gausman, comparing the two shutouts. “But today was a day game. I went out to warm up and the crowd was ready to go and fired up.
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“I don’t know if everybody knew how important the game was, but they definitely let me know.”
The win helped the Blue Jays twofold. First, it extended their lead in the American League East over the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to 3 1/2 games, although both those teams played later Thursday. It also dealt an important loss to the Astros, who lead the AL West.
The top two teams in each league get a bye to the second round of MLB’s post-season. Toronto and the Detroit Tigers currently hold those spots, with Houston third. Beating the Astros helps add a cushion to that race.
“Honestly, I feel like every home game we’ve played for a while now has felt like a post-season game,” said Gausman. “Just the atmosphere, the energy in the building.
“I’m getting ready to start the game, and people are cheering for me before I even throw a pitch. That’s pretty cool. As a player, you hope to be in this point of the season where that’s still the case.”
Davis Schneider led off the second inning with a home run and then scored Daulton Varsho with a sacrifice fly in the fourth as Toronto’s (84-62) hitters responded to Gausman’s strong start.
“I feel like I was barely out on defence today,” said Schneider, who was in left field. “When a pitcher is rolling like that, you feel as a hitter that you can just go up there and just swing, no matter what.
“Obviously, if a guy’s kind of struggling and throwing pitches a little bit more, you’re gonna have to see a little bit more as a hitter. But when a guy’s kind of rolling like (Gausman), it frees you up as a hitter.”
Gausman struggled with the command of his splitter to start the season, with his earned-run average getting as high as 4.60 after he gave up seven runs in a 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 19. He’s steadily improved since then, chipping his ERA down to 3.44 following Thursday’s victory.
“He’s professional. He gets it. He understands how important he is to the staff. He understands the value of starting pitching,” said Toronto manager John Schneider on Gausman’s turnaround. “He’s under the radar a little bit with some of the personalities we have in our rotation, but he’s just consistent.
“He’s shown that he can adapt. He’s shown that he can adjust as his career goes on.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
