Blue Jays Kevin Gausman’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Feat Buried in Loss to Rockies
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When the Toronto Blue Jays kicked off their 2026 campaign against the Athletics, the World Series runner-ups delivered promising results; they prevailed and swept the three-game set, reeling in their first few wins of the regular season.
As they entered their next series against the Colorado Rockies, little doubt surrounded the ballclub; of course, the Blue Jays would come out on top.
To the surprise of fans on both sides, Toronto lost the set, 2-1. The Rockies clinched a shocking 14-5 upset over Toronto on Monday, and although the Blue Jays bounced back for a 5-1 victory the following day, the Rockies shut down their hopes of winning another set on Tuesday, as they secured a tight 2-1 victory in the 10th inning.
As frustrating and unexpected as this loss was, Toronto has plenty to celebrate. Their ace Kevin Gausman stamped his name into history, but unfortunately, his feat has been buried by the dreadful loss.
Gausman Breaks Century-Long Record
As the Blue Jays' ace, expectations are already quite high for 35-year-old Gausman, but he's been exceeding expectations. During the final Toronto-Colorado matchup on Tuesday, Gausman became the first pitcher since 1900 with more than 10 strikeouts and zero walks in his first two starts of a regular season.
Pitchers since at least 1900 with 10+ strikeouts and no walks in their first 2 starts of a season:
— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2026
Kevin Gausman. That's the list.
h/t @SlangsOnSports pic.twitter.com/Y3TzOCifOt
At the time of this writing, Gausman is now logging a 0.75 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 12 innings pitched through two starts.
As mentioned, there are already high expectations for Gausman, but so far, he's meeting the bar. But losing to the Rockies after coming off such a spectacular run in the World Series was frustrating, ultimately burying Gausman's feat.
If he can continue building up this momentum throughout the season, Toronto could certainly find its way back to the postseason. This was a frustrating loss for a franchise that absolutely thrived last year, but now is the time to reel things back in and start stepping up on the mound.
Of course, the weight naturally falls on Gausman—he's now working through his fifth year with the ballclub, and so far, he is logging a 3.47 ERA and 804 strikeouts across 739.2 innings pitched through 126 starts in his five years. At this rate, he is only going to continue climbing.
Looking ahead at what's to come, the Blue Jays are gearing up to face the Chicago White Sox on Friday to kick off a three-game set. Although Toronto should be able to come out on top, anything is possible.
Maria Aldrich lives in the captivating Adirondack Mountains in New York where she can be found scaling cliffs, hiking in the High Peaks and paddling down local rivers. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Wilderness Education, Maria began documenting her backcountry experiences through written stories. Over the years, she has found herself drawn to sports journalism and now focuses on MLB, WNBA, NCAA and NHL writing. She can be reached at mariaaldrich20@outlook.com.