Kevin Gausman is having a solid start to his 2025 season, demonstrating a solid command of his fastball, his bread and butter pitch. Through four starts, he has a 2-1 record and a 2.49 ERA with 20 strikeouts and a 0.71 WHIP across 25 1/3 innings. While it’s still early, he’s demonstrating an improved start compared to last season, where he illustrated some early struggles.
His fastball has been dominant, and he’s been off to a strong start for the Blue Jays. He recorded six strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves, his former team. With the Blue Jays’ win on Tuesday evening, Gausman has now recorded a win against all 30 MLB teams. The team he has beaten the most in his career is the Detroit Tigers. And what better way to do it than on Jackie Robinson Day? Gausman has established himself as one of the more reliable Blue Jays starters alongside Chris Bassitt, who will get the start to wrap up the series against the Braves.
BlueJays double up Braves 6-3 on
night
Gausman W (2-1) 6H 2ER 6K
Santander 2-4 HR(2) 3RBI(6)
Roden 2-3 HR(1) 2RBI(4)Little 1.0IP BB 2K
Player of the game Kevin Gausman for his stout performance in a bounce back spot after yesterday’s loss. #LightsUpLetsGo pic.twitter.com/W4NdogxkWG
— Blue Jays Avenue Podcast (@BlueJaysAvePod) April 16, 2025
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Blue Jays Ace Kevin Gausman Dominating with Fastball Early This Season
With the win tonight, Kevin Gausman has now recorded a win against all 30 MLB teams.
The team he has beaten the most: Tigers , 10x.
(H/T @BonjourBoucher_) pic.twitter.com/qP4bjVWUNU
— BlueJays Muse (@TORBlueJaysMuse) April 16, 2025
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Last season, he struggled early on, losing his first three decisions and the Jays losing four of his first five starts. But he was experiencing shoulder fatigue starting in spring training. While he didn’t land on the shelf, the shoulder fatigue played a part in slowing his workload to get ready for the start of the regular season in 2024. Ultimately, it impacted his end-of-season ERA (3.83) and strikeout rate (21.4%) compared to his first two seasons pitched with the Blue Jays. Overall, the Blue Jays’ ace has been solid in the rotation. Toronto needs him to be dominant with Max Scherzer still on the injured list. So far, Gausman has been one of the Blue Jays’ best starters to start the year, buoyed by decent run support.
Gausman’s Solid Fastball
This season, Gausman is returning to his old self and his dominant form. He’s demonstrating a solid command of the strike zone with his fastball. The pitch is effective for him due to its ability to be both a set-up pitch and a strike-inducing pitch. In addition, it’s a sneaky pitch that keeps hitters perplexed at the plate. He utilizes it in distinct ways, particularly by keeping it low. pumping in the fastball for strikes allows Gausman to set up his splitter. He uses low fastballs to get ahead in the count, leading to an increased chase rate this year (34.8 %). His fastball also leads to a high pop-up rate, and it is effective at inducing both called strikes and swinging strikes.
The Last Word
If Gausman can remain healthy this season, he will remain a dominant force in the rotation, which will be important for the Blue Jays. They are currently half a game behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. They’ve been 5-5 in their last 10 games. With Gausman’s dominant strikeout ability, he could lead the pack in the Blue Jays rotation. Last season, he struggled with his timing and dealt with a decrease in velocity as well as inconsistency with his fastball and splitter early in the season. This year, he’s turning the tables, so far.
Photo Credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
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