Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced on Friday that Kevin Gausman will start Game 1 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees.
First pitch is set for 4:08 p.m. ET on Saturday in Toronto.
Gausman made 14 starts at the Rogers Centre this season, posting a 3.44 ERA across 86 1/3 innings, allowing 70 hits, 33 earned runs, and 14 home runs, with 18 walks. On the season as a whole, the 34-year-old made 32 starts, finishing with a 3.59 ERA and 189 strikeouts across 193 innings.
Gausman went 2–1 with a 3.97 ERA in four starts against the Yankees, striking out 18 batters in 22 2/3 innings.
The Blue Jays are expected to formalize their ALDS roster ahead of Saturday’s game. Schneider said the club still hasn’t made a decision on shortstop Bo Bichette, who continues to recover from a knee sprain sustained in early September.
Schneider says Bichette has yet to ramp up his running and needs to “hit velocity,” putting his ALDS status in doubt. Should Bichette not be available, it’s expected that Isiah Kiner-Falefa will make the postseason roster as infield depth.
“For [Bo] to be on [ALDS roster], he’d have to play pretty regularly… we don’t want to deviate too much from what we’ve been doing,” Schneider said, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “So it’s not saving him for a Kirk Gibson at-bat once a game that may not come.”
Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez have played shortstop in Bichette’s absence.
