Kevin Gausman Dazzles in Record-Setting Opening Day Gem

[Michael Coyle]

History was made on Friday night during the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-2 win against the Athletics in their first game of the 2026 MLB season. 

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman struck out 11 Athletics batters, surpassing the previous Opening Day record of nine strikeouts, which was previously achieved by Roy Halladay in 2002 and Esteban Loaiza in 2001. Gausman also became the seventh pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record 11 strikeouts and zero walks on Opening Day. 

Gausman went six innings, allowing only one hit, a solo home run to Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers in the fourth inning. In what was one of the most dominant starts of his entire Blue Jays tenure, Gausman only required 83 pitches to get through his six innings, a very efficient mark when accounting for the 11 strikeouts. 

The party started early at the Rogers Centre, with Gausman striking out the side in the first inning after an emotional ceremony honouring the 2025 Blue Jays, who went on a run to the World Series before falling to the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7. The Opening Day start was the third of Gausman’s career and his first in a Blue Jays uniform. 

Gausman toyed with the young Athletics lineup on Friday, touching 96 mph with his fastball while also generating 10 swings and misses on the 19 of his splitters at which his opponents swung. For the most part, Gausman is a two-pitch pitcher, mixing his four-seam fastball with his wipeout splitter. Even when batters can narrow their sights down to two pitches, Gausman proves why hitting aces at the big league level is so difficult. 

Eight of Gausman’s 11 strikeouts came on the splitter, which consistently had its bottom drop off as if the 35-year-old had a string attached to the ball. Eight of the strikeouts were also of the swinging variety, as Athletics hitters continued to guess wrong as to what they thought was coming. 

After the Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning on an Andrés Giménez two-run triple, Gausman returned for the sixth, setting down Jeff McNeil, Denzel Clarke and Nick Kurtz on 15 pitches to keep the momentum on the Blue Jays’ side. 

Gausman left in line for the win, but a second Langeliers home run of the night in the ninth inning off closer Jeff Hoffman put an end to Gausman’s bid for an Opening Day victory. Thankfully, the Blue Jays still pulled off the win on a walk-off single by Giménez.

With fellow starters Shane Bieber, José Berríos and Trey Yesavage all unable to begin the season due to various ailments, the durable Gausman showed why he’s become a fan-favourite in Toronto. If Friday night was any indication of what the 35-year-old has in store for 2026, then this could be his best season in a very strong five years north of the border. 

Gausman’s next start is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, when the Blue Jays host the Colorado Rockies at 1:07 p.m. ET. 

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