Blue Jays' Gausman Talks Thin Air At Coors Field, Return To Colorado

As a start versus the Rockies looms, Gausman shares all his insight about pitching at Coors Field.

When Kevin Gausman was a little kid, he had a book called “My First Day As A Colorado Rockie.” The gimmick of the book allowed the reader to slide their own picture into each page, imagining they were the latest star rookie shining in a big moment.

So, a young Gausman dreamed he got called up, got the winning hit in the ninth inning, and had his Rockies teammates hoist him on their shoulders.

“Back then, I was all about hitting,” Gausman said with a smile.

Well, little Kevin never got that walk-off hit in The Show, but he turned into one hell of a major-league pitcher. And when the Blue Jays traveled to Coors Field Friday, it was a nice homecoming for the Centennial, Colorado, native. Gausman said he expects around 40 friends and family to attend his start day Sunday.

But before he geared up for the series finale, the 32-year-old needed to prep his body for the thin Denver air. But what does it actually feel like to breathe the air at Coors Field?

“If you've ever been to the mountains, you know exactly what that feeling is,” Gausman said. “You go on a hike in the mountains, the higher up you go, the harder it is to breathe. 5,280 feet — that’s how high Denver is. It’s a huge difference from anywhere else.”

The right-hander made four career starts at Coors Field (3.47 ERA), and one difference he first noticed was the feel of the baseball. MLB keeps all its baseballs in a humidor before the game to maintain moisture, but, in Denver, the baseballs dry up quickly. 

Pitchers who rely on big breaking balls or sweeping sliders won’t get a great grip on the ball and must be cautious about their pitch usage, Gausman said.

Once the ball is put in play, it flies — Gausman confirmed that. But that’s out of a pitcher’s control. Instead, players can prepare themselves by going lighter in pre-game warm-ups as their bodies adjust to the high altitude.

Gausman's time with the Giants, the Rockies' NL West foe, helped him acclimate to Coors Field.

“As a pitcher, you’ve just got to be a little bit smarter,” Gausman said. “You don't need to be out shagging [pre-game batting practice]. As much as I love to shag, I'm not gonna shag in Denver just because there's no reason to wear out your body when the whole time your lungs are just trying to try to survive.”

Gausman said he also anticipates the pitch clock adding some strain to this weekend’s outings. It’s one thing to pitch at altitude at your own pace. Now pitchers will have to hustle to match the clock’s quick turnaround.

To help players cope, the dugouts are fitted with portable oxygen tanks. Gausman said players can take a hit or two between innings to catch their breath, though some guys need it more than others.

“I always thought it was hilarious. Brandon Belt, when I was with the Giants, he would go through like six of those a game,” Gausman said, laughing.

It’s easy to imagine Belt rumbling around the basepaths and then parking himself down in the dugout for a sweet hit of fresh air. But apparently, he’s not the only one who felt slighted by the Coors Field altitude. Some guys just don’t like pitching in Colorado or simply can’t succeed in the Mile-High City. Gausman’s former Giants teammate, Alex Wood, was one of those people.

Gausman planned to track down Kyle Freeland, a fellow Colorado native, before Sunday to chat about the challenges of managing the pitch clock at Coors Field.

“He's an incredible pitcher who’s had a great career,” Gausman said. “But if you look up his numbers in Colorado, they're not very good. And because of that, we would try to not have him pitch there.”

Hyun Jin Ryu, who started Friday and allowed two runs over five innings, told Gausman he still gets the heebie-jeebies from Coors Field after a 7-run outing in 2019 derailed a streak of 11 consecutive quality starts.

That’s why Gausman has extra respect for guys like Kyle Freeland, a lifelong Rockie, for succeeding at Coors Field. The Blue Jays starter said he’d try to track down Freeland, another Colorado native, before his start to chat and snag some tips about pitching in Denver.

During his Orioles days, Gausman shared the clubhouse with Ubaldo Jiménez, a pitcher he once idolized. Jiménez pitched six solid years in Colorado and nearly won the NL Cy Young in 2010. He told Gausman he never worked out during home games. Jiménez wouldn’t lift or exercise at Coors Field; he saved everything for road outings. That’s part of why Gausman now knows to keep things light.

Despite all the challenges Coors Field introduces, Gausman could still see himself pitching for his hometown club one day.

“The running joke is that I’ll sign a one-year deal with [the Rockies] in my last year, but only to be a closer,” Gausman said.

Maybe that happens somewhere down the line. But Sunday is all about giving the Blue Jays, his current club, a chance to win. And with the playoff stakes growing larger every day, Toronto desperately needs all the help Gausman can provide.