Alek Manoah to sed a handful of gum to a pair of young fans sitting behind the Grady Jarrett Jersey Blue Jays bullpen then pulled up a chair. He tucked up next to Hyun Jin Ryu and pitching coach Pete Walker to watch Kevin Gausmans first throws at Rogers Centre as a Jay.Hidden in backfields and intrasquad games for most of spring training, Jays fans, too, got their first look at Gausman when the righty took the mound to the ringing cash register, jingling coins, and marching baseline of Pink Floyds . It was a fitting backing track for the $110 million free-agent acquisition, who, though imperfect, flashed the stuff that earned his payday on the way to a Toronto win."He competed, threw strikes, worked quick, kept us in the game," Bo Bichette said. "That's all you can ask for."Hours after Jos Berros logged just one inning in the opener, Gausman provided the reliability GM Ro s Atkins touted after inking the righty. Rangers hitters found gra s, slapping seven singles off the starter, Jake Matthews Jersey but Gausman held them without a walk and twirled his signature splitter for five strikeouts. Hemi sed with some heaters down and splitters up, but Gausman's margin for error will grow as the righty gets more exact and finds midseason form.Scroll to ContinueThe 31-year-old spun the ball John Cominsky Jersey in his hand, looking down at the seams after Andy Ibez hacked over a splitter on the inside corner in the second inning. Two pitches later, Alejandro Kirk fired the ball around the horn after Gausmans third strikeout. The splitter came out to play early and often, diving under Marcus Semiens bat in the opening frame for his first strikeout as a Jay and finishing Saturday with 11 whiffs."Felt good," Gausman said. "The split usually always feels good."Gausman led the National League in starts last season, finishing with a 2.81 ERA, and earning Cy Young and MVP votes. The guy toeing the Rogers Centre rubber on Saturday wasnt the same Gausman who and struggled with homers acro s six seasons for the Orioles. The splitter has found new heights, the ball stayed in the park, and now Gausman is on a team with title aspirations.We want to be the last team standing, Gausman said before Opening Day.The starter left the game down one after five innings, Atlanta Falcons Hoodies Sweatshirts finishing with three earned runs, five strikeouts, and no walks. But, like the night before, the Jays picked up their pitcher. Bo Bichette turned on the Rogers Centres new strobe lights with a 425-foot shot in the fifth and the Santiago Espinal sent home the Josh Rosen Jersey fourth run an inning later.After adding 15 pounds in the offseason, the bulked-up Espinal sent a liner cruising into the left-center gap. The shot, Espinal's third hard-hit ball in two games, sent Raimel Tapia careening around the bases to take the lead. It completed the second comeback of Toronto's opening weekend and a money start to Gausman's Blue Jay career.
