3 Takeaways from Kevin Gausman's Masterpiece, Blue Jays' Win Over Red Sox
Kevin Gausman could hardly watch the final pitches from the dugout.
Peaking over teammates' shoulders, Gausman celebrated as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took the ball to first himself, helping Jordan Romano work out of a jam and securing Toronto's win.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Gausman said on the broadcast after the game.
Gausman started the ninth inning himself, grabbing his glove and taking a swig of water before attempting to notch the complete-game shutout. Though a Trevor Story single ended his day, he was still the star of Toronto's 3-2 rubber-match win over the Red Sox.
Here are three takeaways from Gausman's outing and the Blue Jays' victory:
Gausman Unhittable and Efficient
Gausman twirled the ball in his hand, refitting his Blue Jays cap before setting up to deliver his 87th pitch. With the wind pushing his hair back, Gausman buried a splitter inside for his eighth strikeout of the game, the last out he'd record.
As Gausman walked back to the road dugout after the eighth inning, José Berríos danced in celebration of his teammate's outing. Working his eight-plus innings on just 88 pitches, the righty flashed the durability and reliability GM Ross Atkins lauded at his introductory press conference in the winter. Gausman pitched seven or more innings nine times during his walk year with the Giants in 2021.
Toronto's starter put himself in a position to work deep by jumping ahead of hitters and inducing soft contact. Just five pieces of Boston contact had expected batting averages over .300, as Gausman kept the Red Sox off balance with his signature fastball/splitter combo.
Gausman also mixed in his third pitch, the slider, 16 times. On Thursday, the pitch generated 13 swings and seven whiffs for an outstanding 44% called-strike plus whiff rate. Overall, he generated 19 whiffs, including nine swinging strikes on pitches out of the zone.
Tapia Improves
Gausman didn't allow a piece of dangerous contact until the fifth inning, when Christian Vázquez turned on an inside splitter and plastered it off the green monster. Waiting under the ball was Raimel Tapia, who played the hit off a single bounce and gunned in a throw to second to send Vazquez walking back to the dugout.
Young Red Sox outfielders practice their entire baseball lives to properly play caroms off the wall. It took Tapia just a few innings to nail it.
ROCKET Raimel 🚀 pic.twitter.com/QXnIk1tG6q
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 21, 2022
Heading into the Red Sox series, Tapia had a batting average of .200 and an OPS of .440. With just one extra-base hit, no walks, and four strikeouts, the ‘offensive compliment’ Toronto management saw in Tapia had yet to show. But with a homer in Wednesday’s win and two hits on Thursday, the lefty outfielder is finding his form in all facets. With Teoscar Hernández still on the injured list, contributions from Tapia will be key.
Katoh Debuts
After 764 minor-league games and two MLB pinch-hit appearances, Gosuke Katoh found his name in a major league starting lineup for the first time on Thursday.
Primarily known as a versatile bat-to-ball hitter, Katoh watched a first-pitch fastball fly away from the zone during his first big-league plate appearance. Fouling off two heaters, Katoh's patience allowed him to take four balls from Tanner Houck and earn a walk.
Almost nine years after he was drafted by the Yankees in the second round, Katoh finished 0/1 with a walk and a run scored in his first MLB start. He was lifted for a pinch-hitting Santiago Espinal in the middle innings.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon