Red-Hot Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman Make Unlucky MLB History

The Toronto Blue Jays have had some of the worst luck of any team in Major League Baseball.

Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) pitches to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

There are few teams in Major League Baseball who have had a more disastrous start to the 2026 campaign than the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays entered the day on Sunday tied with the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals for the fewest wins in the American League with just seven. That's pretty shocking. The Blue Jays went 94-68 in 2025 and were the American League champions. Toronto went all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, but lost against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The story of the season so far for Toronto has been injuries, but the club has also simply been unlucky. For example, MLB analyst Chris Black shared on X that Toronto actually has two of the only three hurlers in big league history to begin a season with 30-plus strikeouts and a sub-2.50 ERA, but zero wins across their first four starts.

Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease On The Wrong Side Of MLB History

Apr 12, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease (84) in the dug out before the start of a game against the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

"Only 3 pitchers in MLB history have begun a season over their first 4 starts with: 30+ strikeouts, sub 2.50 ERA, 0 wins," Black wrote. "2 of the 3 are 2026 Toronto Blue Jays: Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.42, 31 K), Dylan Cease (0-0, 1.74, 32 K)."

Now, that's certainly not the list you want to be on in Major League Baseball history. It just goes to show how unlucky a team the Blue Jays have been. Kevin Gausman has a 2.42 ERA across 22 1/3 innings pitched with 31 strikeouts. Dylan Cease has a 1.74 ERA across 20 2/3 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts. That's ace-level stuff. While this is the case, neither has earned a win so far this season.

Baseball certainly can be weird sometimes. While neither Cease nor Gausman has earned a win this season, Milwaukee Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby is tied with Los Angeles Angels starter Jose Soriano for the most wins in baseball with five apiece.

Ashby has a 3.21 ERA in 11 appearances out of the Brewers' bullpen and has five wins in just 14 innings of work. Eric Lauer of the Blue Jays is leading the league with three losses and has a 7.13 ERA in 17 2/3 innings pitched, but even he has earned a win this season. But Gausman and Cease have not. This is the type of stat baseball fans should see. It just goes to show how great — and weird — the game can be at points.