Kevin Gausman Shines as Blue Jays Dominate Tigers Late
It was a pitcher’s duel for most of the night, but the Toronto Blue Jays knew how to flip the switch when it mattered. In Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers, all eyes were on the mound as two of the American League’s top arms—Kevin Gausman for the Jays and Tarik Skubal for the Tigers—went head-to-head. And wow, did they deliver.
Gausman was absolutely locked in. He allowed just one hit and one walk over six shutout innings, striking out ten. His command was sharp, his fastball had zip, and Detroit's lineup just couldn't figure him out. On the other side, Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, was equally impressive. Over six scoreless innings, he gave up five hits, walked three, and struck out seven. It really was a battle of the aces.
But once both starters exited, things got interesting—and fast.
The turning point came in the eighth. Toronto’s Joey Loperfido and George Springer came off the bench hot, each singling to set the table. Then a wild pitch moved them into scoring position. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out, Bo Bichette stepped up and delivered a huge two-run single, sneaking the ball past a diving second baseman. That finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Toronto the edge.
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And they weren’t done.
The Blue Jays exploded in the ninth, adding four more runs thanks to back-to-back-to-back homers from Nathan Lukes, Springer, and Guerrero Jr. Just like that, a tight game turned into a blowout. Detroit managed to get on the board with a late groundout from Riley Greene, but it was too little, too late.
What stood out, besides Gausman’s masterclass? Toronto’s bullpen was lights out. Four pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and just one walk. Offensively, the Jays stayed patient, capitalizing on Detroit’s relievers once Skubal was out.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are in a serious slump. They’ve now dropped six straight and 12 of their last 13 games, getting outscored 89-33 over that stretch. Even with that rough patch, they’re still leading the AL Central—but the pressure is mounting.
The Blue Jays, on the other hand, are red-hot. With this win, they’ve taken four straight and are 8-1 since the All-Star break. Their lead in the AL East is now 6.5 games over the Yankees.
Next up? Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto as they go for the sweep on Sunday.
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