Blue Jays Ace Has Taken Game To New Level This Season

The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten some sensational performances from their veteran ace to start the season.

Apr 15, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten off to a wonderful start to begin the year, sitting with a 10-8 record and just a half game back in the division with a chance to win another series on Wednesday afternoon against the scuffling Atlanta Braves.

When a team begins a season the way Toronto has been able to do, internal improvement is almost always going to be a bigger factor than any sort of external additions from the offseason prior.

Championship teams are built in-house, and the Blue Jays have found a way to get some serious production from guys who were already on the team.

Following a 2024 season for guys like Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt that was nowhere near what they are capable of, these are just a couple of examples of players who have started hot.

Though perhaps the most important factor in the strong first few weeks has been a step being taken by someone Toronto already expected to be an All-Star quality player, but had a slightly down season in 2024.

Kevin Gausman entered 2024 as the Blue Jays' ace for the fourth season since signing a lucrative five-year deal with the team prior to the 2022 season.

During his first two seasons, he finished top 10 in American League Cy Young voting both years. While he was not horrible in 2024, he was not the same dominant and steady star that he had been in the past.

After pitching to a 3.25 ERA in his first 62 starts with 442 strikeouts in 359.2 innings, Gausman climbed to a 3.83 ERA with just 162 strikeouts in 181 innings last season.

Over his first four starts of the 2025 season, however, the 34-year-old Gausman appears to be back to ace form with a 2-1 record to go along with a 2.49 ERA and a ridiculous 0.71 WHIP.

Gausman has always been reliable, but if this is the kind of form he can continue through the season, he's going to give Toronto a chance to win a ton of games.

The Blue Jays don't need him to go out and look like a Cy Young winner, they simply need him to do what he has done throughout his career and maybe take things a notch or two up.

Thus far, that is exactly what Gausman has done, and it's starting to pay off in a major way for Toronto.