Toronto Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman reflects on 'heartbreaking' World Series, looking forward to start vs Dodgers
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman opened up about the process of moving past last year’s heartbreaking World Series loss at Rogers Centre.
Still feeling the sting from the Toronto Blue Jays’ defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kevin Gausman found himself revisiting the highs and lows of the Fall Classic.
During workouts, he would often tune into radio or TV broadcasts of his own starts.
Speaking with Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, Gausman explained that he reviewed all of his playoff appearances.
“Sometimes I’d listen to the home radio broadcast, other times I’d flip to the road feed, curious what they might have said,” Gausman said.
Over the weeks, he watched “probably every pitch (he) threw,” totaling 436.
By the time Game 6 of the World Series arrived, reliving those moments could be painful, Nicholson-Smith notes.
“Kind of heartbreaking at times,” Gausman admitted. “But I kind of needed it to get over it in a sense. It's almost like when you have a bad breakup, I guess. If you have some voicemails, you’re going to listen to them for a while until you finally delete them.”
The upcoming series promises a high level of attention, not only from the media but also from fans.
Nicholson-Smith indicates that near-sellout crowds are expected throughout the week, and the players are acutely aware of what’s at stake.
Gausman is mindful of the challenge ahead. “The lineup I’ll face Tuesday is really good — that's why they won it back-to-back years,” he said.
His preparation has focused on attacking Los Angeles hitters rather than worrying about how his start aligns with that of Yamamoto.
He added with a smile that he hopes the Blue Jays can put up 10 runs per game.
Such an offensive surge could help reshape the narrative around the 2026 Blue Jays, who have struggled to find their rhythm so far this season, writes Nicholson-Smith.
“It's just funny because it's so early in the season still,” Gausman said. ”But yeah, I get it. I get the excitement behind it. It’s just two of the best teams from last year facing each other for the first time, so yeah, it's going to be fun. I know there’s probably going to be a little bit more reactions from the fans during that series. But that's what sports is all about.”
While the rest of the American League keeps an eye on the Blue Jays, the Dodgers remain the benchmark.
Regardless of the date, this series is crucial for the Blue Jays to sustain the high level of interest among Canadian sports fans, interest that hasn’t been this strong since the World Series years of 1992-’93.
Starting the summer by taking down the back-to-back champions would be a welcome boost for a team hoping to turn around an otherwise underwhelming start to the 2026 season.
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AVRIL 6|164 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman reflects on 'heartbreaking' World Series, looking forward to start vs Dodgers Do you think the Blue Jays will win this three game series against the Dodgers? | ||
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