Toronto Blue Jays' ace Kevin Gausman etched his name into franchise lore during Friday's thrilling 3-2 Opening Day victory over the Athletics. By the fifth inning, Gausman had already racked up double-digit strikeouts, finishing with an impressive 11 over six innings. This performance made him the first pitcher in Blue Jays history to notch at least 10 strikeouts in a season opener, surpassing the previous record held by legends Roy Halladay and Esteban Loaiza.
At 35, Gausman joined an elite club as just the seventh pitcher since 1901 to record 11 or more strikeouts without issuing a single walk on Opening Day. He kicked off his outing with three consecutive strikeouts, becoming only the second Blue Jays starter to fan the first three batters of a season.
In his six innings of work, Gausman was nearly untouchable, allowing just one run on a solo homer by Shea Langeliers in the fourth inning. He was in command throughout, throwing 83 pitches with a remarkable 72.3% strike rate and generating 17 swinging strikes. His arsenal, featuring a mid-90s fastball, splitter, and slider, kept the Athletics batters guessing all night.
Gausman’s 2025 season saw him strike out 189 batters with a 3.59 ERA over 32 starts. This was his first Opening Day start for Toronto since inking a five-year, $110 million deal before the 2022 season, having previously started openers for the Baltimore Orioles in 2017 and San Francisco Giants in 2021.
The reigning American League champions backed him up just enough. Andres Gimenez was the hero at the plate, driving in all three of Toronto's runs, including a dramatic walk-off single in the ninth. Langeliers kept the Athletics in the game with two home runs, one of which tied the game in the ninth, setting the stage for Gimenez's clutch hit.