In a recent game against the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Kevin Gausman experienced a significant setback. In his first start of the season, the Blue Jays had limited Gausman to 69 pitches, aiming to avoid overextending one of the rotation's leaders. Despite this cautious approach, Gausman's performance was notably poor in New York, where he lasted only 1.1 innings, giving up six earned runs (6 ER) on four hits and two walks, including two home runs (2 HR), on a total of 51 pitches (29 strikes). This outing marked his shortest since joining the Blue Jays, with a noticeable decrease in velocity, averaging 91.4 mph on his fastball and 82.3 mph on his splitter, typically in the mid-to-upper 80s at its effective. The Blue Jays' bullpen faced the challenge of covering the remaining innings ahead of the next game, with Bowden Francis scheduled to pitch. Despite a nearly successful comeback, Gausman's dip in velocity was a significant factor in the team's early struggle against the Yankees, in what was described as a rare poor outing from the Blue Jays' staff ace. This performance contrasted with Gausman's previous season, where a similar velocity dip occurred on the same date, April 6, yet he managed to excel, highlighting his importance as the Blue Jays' ace.
Kevin Gausman’s velocity dip isn’t as worrying as it looks. The same thing happened exactly one year ago, April 6. It didn’t work this time, though, and making it work was what made the #BlueJays’ ace so good in 2023. Story from New York: https://t.co/X82xTd8bFX
Kevin Gausman lit up by Bronx Bombers in rare poor outing from Blue Jays' staff ace https://t.co/T8H1wEy4HD #BlueJays https://t.co/wuvX8yZ5YF
While the Blue Jays nearly completed a comeback, a significant dip in velocity from Kevin Gausman doomed them early against the Yankees. (@shidavidi) https://t.co/OLIWOitoKX
Kevin Gausman's final line in New York: 1.1 IP • 6 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 K (2 HR) • 51 pitches (29 strikes) The #BlueJays' bullpen now has to chew through a bunch of innings ahead of a 1:35pm finale tomorrow with Bowden Francis on the mound.
Kevin Gausman is done after six runs and 1.1 innings, his shortest outing since joining the Blue Jays. His velo was down significantly, averaging 91.4 on his fastball and 82.3 on his splitter, which is in the mid-to-upper 80s at its effective.
🔸The Blue Jays limited Gausman to 69 pitches last week in his first start of the season. 🔸Toronto can’t afford to overextend one of the leaders of its rotation, expect a similarly cautious approach tonight. 🔸Facing a potent New York line-up that’s had success against him in… https://t.co/fj9DZNKSZK https://t.co/zOnVrmyaJ9