TORONTO – Kevin Gausman will start for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday afternoon against the New York Yankees.
Manager John Schneider confirmed the decision Friday at a media availability ahead of team workouts at Rogers Centre. The Yankees, who will hold batting practice in the evening, have yet to name their starter.
Gausman was 10-11 this past season with a 3.59 earned-run average and 189 strikeouts over 32 starts.
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette remained out on a day-to-day basis, Schneider said. Bichette missed the last three weeks of the season with a left knee sprain.
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The teams were expected to release their 26-man series rosters on Saturday morning.
Toronto and New York were 94-68 in the regular season but the Blue Jays took the top seed with a better head-to-head record.
The Yankees secured a berth in the ALDS on Thursday night with a 4-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the decider of the three-game wild-card series.
New York won the AL pennant last year before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The Blue Jays are looking for their first post-season victory since 2016. Toronto was swept in three wild-card series appearances between 2020 and ’23.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press