Toronto ace Dylan Cease breaks franchise record in Blue Jays debut

Less than a day after Kevin Gausman established a new franchise mark for opening-day strikeouts, Dylan Cease delivered a standout performance of his own for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Taking the mound Saturday against the Athletics, Cease recorded 12 strikeouts, setting a new team record for the most in a pitcher’s debut with Toronto.

The previous record was held by David Price, who struck out 11 batters in his first appearance with the Blue Jays against the Minnesota Twins on August 3, 2015, shortly after being acquired at the trade deadline.

Several other pitchers have made strong first impressions with the club, including Shane Bieber (2025), Roger Clemens (1997), Trey Yesavage (2025), and Steven
Matz (2021), each tallying nine strikeouts in their respective debuts.

Cease also matched another franchise achievement, tying Alek Manoah’s mark for consecutive strikeouts in a single game by retiring seven batters in a row between the third and fifth innings.

Following Gausman’s dominant outing on Friday, the duo became the first pair of Blue Jays teammates to each record at least 11 strikeouts in the team’s first two games of a season since 1901.

Saturday’s start marked Cease’s first regular-season appearance for Toronto after signing a seven-year, $210-million contract in the offseason — the largest free-agent deal in franchise history.

The 30-year-old right-hander spent the 2025 season with the San Diego Padres, where he posted a 4.55 ERA and collected 215 strikeouts over 168 innings.

Cease exited the game after 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while issuing two walks. With runners on the corners and one out, he was relieved by Braydon Fisher.

Fisher escaped the jam thanks in part to a slick defensive play from Andrés Giménez, who initiated a double play with a spinning stop at shortstop.

Trailing 6–2, the Blue Jays mounted a late comeback. RBI singles from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jesús Sánchez, and Giménez cut the deficit to one before Alejandro Kirk launched a game-tying home run to left field in the ninth inning.

Moments later, Ernie Clement delivered a walk-off hit, the third of his career, sparking a celebration in shallow right field.

Just two games into the 2026 season, Toronto appears to have carried its momentum from 2025 into the new year.

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