Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman looks to bring title back to Toronto in game 6 of the World Series at Rogers Centre
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Toronto Blue Jays' ace Kevin Gausman is taking the mound once again in the biggest start of his career on the biggest stage at Rogers Centre.
The biggest moment of Kevin Gausman's baseball life is waiting for him on the big stage in Toronto, a Game 6 start with a shot to win the World Series.
If you would've told me back in 2016 when Gausman was a young buck on the mound for the Orioles facing Blue Jays rookie Aaron Sanchez that Gaus would one day be our ace, and starting game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers, I'd probably think you were crazy.
Yet here we are. Not since Dave Stewart took the mound at SkyDome on Oct. 23, 1993, has a Blue Jays pitcher had a moment like this in front of him.
The Blue Jays played to a 54-27 record at home this season, and even while they have been on the road at Dodger Stadium, their home in Toronto has been packed for viewing parties.
Home-field advantages can be difficult to measure, but for Kevin Gausman it's real and motivating
«Rogers Centre is going to be fun. It's going to be electric,» Gausman said. «It's going to be everything that it has been for the last month and probably more. We're excited to get back there. Obviously, we're really good at home, so we feel confident playing in front of our own team. The fans there have been awesome, especially lately. They bring the energy, they pick us up when we need it.»
In Gausman's first career World Series appearance in Game 2, he held the Dodgers to three runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings and may have looked even better than the line suggests.
Home runs from Will Smith and Max Muncy in the seventh inning wrecked an otherwise excellent outing from Gausman, but when you're facing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, there's nearly no room for error.
Therein lies the great challenge of Friday night in Toronto. Gausman is not only going up against one of the best lineups in the sport, led by Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman -- he's also being held to the standard of Yamamoto.
Former Blue Jay and three-time World Series Champ Jack Morris shares some advice for Kevin Gausman in a close-out Game 6
"It's you and the catcher's glove. Block out all the distractions, throw it through that glove, and you'll be just fine."
Gausman is a great pitcher in his own right, but he's going to need some help from the Blue Jays' batters.
Over his five post-season appearances, Gausman has a 2-2 record with a 2.55 ERA and 18 strikeouts. He has given up 10 walks and 14 hits, four of which were home runs.
He made an appearance out of the bullpen for the Jays in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners, pitching a shutout seventh inning to help Toronto secure the tight 4-3 win and cement their spot in the Fall Classic.
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