Gerry Angus-USA TODAY Sports
'He Should Be Fine': Blue Jays Survive Gausman Injury Scare in Home Finale
With a week left in the regular season, the Blue Jays’ main priority is to win games and secure home-field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
After that, manager John Schneider’s primary adjectives are pretty clear: Stay healthy, stay in rhythm, play clean defense. While some flashy plays in the field and big homers ticked off two of those objectives in Toronto’s 6-3 win over the Red Sox, Kevin Gausman’s early exit gave the Blue Jays a scare in their home finale.
Gausman left after three innings on Sunday with a cut on his right middle finger, leaving six innings for Toronto's bullpen to cover to secure the sweep. After the game, Schneider said Gausman "should be fine" and the starter echoed the same.
"If the circumstances were a little different he would've kept going," Schneider said. "But just playing it a little bit safe."
A few ground-ball singles tagged Gausman with two earned runs during his three innings on Sunday, but the righty still capped off a phenomenal first season with the Blue Jays. In 31 starts (174.2 innings pitched) Gausman posted a 3.35 ERA, earning 12 wins, and lead the American League in Fielding Independent Pitching.
The cut on his right middle finger, by the nail, has popped up before, Gausman said, and he's able to manage it between starts with laser treatment. It flared up in the first inning on Sunday, primarily impacting his splitter, and he informed the Blue Jays in the third inning and his outing was shut down. With a postseason spot locked up, the team decided to play it safe.
"Even if this is two weeks prior, you know, I'm staying in that game," Gausman said.
Gausman may adjust his schedule between starts, with his next outing set to come in the playoffs, potentially pushing his bullpen back a day to give his finger more treatment and rest. While Alek Manoah is lined up for a potential Game 1 in a Wild Card playoff series, Gausman has been Toronto’s clear second starter all season and will certainly factor into a playoff series, if healthy.
The righty has pitched in three separate playoff runs during his big league career, including a start in last season's NLDS between the Giants and Dodgers. The opportunity to start another postseason game is what he's been hoping for since the start of the season, and despite Sunday's early exit, he seems set to make that outing next week.
"When you get the ball to start the game," Gausman said. "That's what you dream of, right?"
