Blue Jay's Pick Outlines First-Time Career Starter for Opener
The Toronto Blue Jays announced right-hander Kevin Gausman will start Opening Day of the 2026 regular season against Oakland Athletics Friday March 17th. This marks a significant milestone for both players and teams, as it is only the second time in his career that he has been named an opening day starter following last year's successful rotation performance under manager John Schneider who remains noncommittal on future decisions despite their World Series aspirations after one of baseballs most productive seasons ever ending March 16th.
Key Points
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1The Toronto Blue Jays announced Kevin Gausman (right-hander) as the Opening Day starter for March 27 against the Athletics.
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2This marks only the first time in his career that a starting pitcher has been named to start an opening day game with this team.
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3Gausman is recognized by fans and media nicknames such as 'The Wizard of Gaus' due to consistent high-end performance, especially last season where he anchored the rotation.
Developments
Perspectives
Kevin Gausman has been named the Toronto Blue Jays' Opening Day starter for 2026 against the Athletics.
— [Mar 14, 15:21] Blue Jays name Gausman as Opening Day starter (Origin-feeds.thescore.com)"The Wizard of Gaus" is celebrating his selection to start on social media with a tweet from Toronto's official account dated March 14.
— [Mar 16, 03:25] Blue Jays name Kevin as Opening Day starter (Origin-feeds.thescore.com)"The Wizard of Gaus" is celebrating his selection to start on social media with a tweet from Toronto's official account dated March 14.
— [Mar 16, 03:25] Blue Jays name Kevin as Opening Day starter (Origin-feeds.thescore.com)"The Wizard of Gaus" is celebrating his selection to start on social media with a tweet from Toronto's official account dated March 14.
— [Mar 16, 03:25] Blue Jays name Kevin as Opening Day starter (Origin-feeds.thescore.com)The Toronto Blue Jays have announced right-hander Kevin Gausman as their Opening Day starter against the Athletics on March 27, marking his first season debut with the team since joining in 2022. During this period and previous seasons including a World Series appearance versus Los Angeles Dodgers last year (noted textually), he has remained healthy while delivering quality starts across multiple postseason series for Toronto Blue Jays
Following their most successful 21st-century season and a historic contract extension in his final year under agreement. Manager John Schneider remains noncommittal about who will start on opening day but plans to announce it by Saturday, citing Gausman's consistent performance as the team has no shortage of options for this role