Blue Jays cruise to shutout win but lose Gausman in the process

ARLINGTON, Texas — Midway through the sixth inning Thursday, the gate to the visitors’ bullpen opened at Globe Life Field and out ran Dillon Tate.

Normally, this wouldn’t be noteworthy in a mid-September game between two non-contenders. Yet Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman had thrown just 58 pitches and he had yet to allow a hit. Under those circumstances, the early exit was surprising — even a little concerning. 

Unbeknownst to the 30,384 in attendance, though, Gausman’s lower back had tightened up on his final warm-up pitch of the afternoon. He immediately told manager John Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker that he wasn’t feeling his best, but hoped to keep the Blue Jays in the game as long as possible.

“After he said he was tight in the first, we were going to be happy with five,” Schneider recalled. “It just so happened that he had a no-hitter going.”

After competing five innings, Gausman returned to the dugout where he confirmed to Schneider and Walker that he was ready to call it a day. Fellow starter Chris Bassitt overheard the conversation and interjected.

“You know you have a no-hitter going,” Schneider recalls Bassitt saying.

Gausman didn’t waver.

“I was happy to get through five,” Gausman said. “Once I came out of the game it was like ‘C’mon, let’s throw a combined no-hitter.’”

The no-hit bid ended with a seventh-inning single by Texas shortstop Josh Smith, but the Blue Jays still combined for a two-hit shutout, avoiding a sweep and improving to 73-80 on the season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. powered the 4-0 win with a pair of homers, while the bullpen provided four shutout innings.

“Weird day for me,” Gausman said. “I had a no-no and I came out of the game, but that’s just being smart and thinking about my one start left and also you don’t want to go into the off-season with anything (physical). I really didn’t think that today was going to be a day I was going to throw a no-hitter, to be honest with how bad I felt physically. I don’t know how I didn’t give up hits.”

Still, the Gausman news is far from ideal for a team that lost Bo Bichette, Daulton Varsho and Will Wagner to season-ending injuries earlier in the week. As of now, Gausman’s intends to make his final start of the season “unless something crazy happens” between now and next week.

“Didn’t want to take any chances with him,” Schneider said. “We’ll take it day by day.”

At this point, Gausman has a 3.91 ERA in 175 innings spanning 30 starts — a strong showing for any starting pitcher, especially one who barely pitched in spring training. While the Blue Jays have disappointed as a collective, Gausman’s five-year, $110 million deal continues to look like an excellent investment after three years.

On Thursday morning, however, the Blue Jays placed Bo Bichette on the injured list with a middle finger fracture he sustained fielding ground balls Wednesday evening. The 2024 season’s now over for the shortstop, who will soon meet with a specialist to determine best course of action for healing. Regardless, a normal off-season is expected for Bichette.

“Very difficult,”  Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “I’m sure it’s very uncomfortable for him after all he’s done to come back. (But) he’s a warrior. I know he’s going to come back.”

After rehabbing a calf injury for two months, Bichette came back for one game Tuesday, collected two hits, and promptly got hurt the next day. His season ends with a .225 average and a .598 OPS in 81 games — far below his established norms.

“It’s tough,” said manager John Schneider. “He was frustrated. I do think he’s in a pretty good place in terms of perspective. He was obviously frustrated, but knowing that something positive will come out of this.”

Without Bichette, the Blue Jays’ lineup looks far less potent, but thanks to Guerrero Jr., they scored enough Thursday to support a strong effort from the pitching staff. The 25-year-old is now hitting .322 with 30 home runs, 99 RBI and a .950 OPS — monster numbers that place him among the MLB elite.

"It definitely means a lot to me," Guerrero Jr. said. "I'm very happy and very proud of myself the way I've been playing."

“It’s tough to put into words,” Schneider added. “He’s just really good.”

Replacing Bichette on the roster is outfielder Jonatan Clase, the 22-year-old acquired for Yimi Garcia at the trade deadline. A five-foot-10 centre fielder with surprising power and plus speed, Clase will likely play centre field along with some left at the MLB level.

“Exciting player, and we liked him when we acquired him, obviously,” Schneider said. “He has all the tools, between speed and power. What he’s been working on and will continue to work on is controlling the zone a little bit, cutting down on the swing and miss and putting that ball in play. He can also wreak some havoc on the bases. It’s a unique skillset.”

From here, the Blue Jays head to Tampa, where they’ll wrap up the road portion of the schedule with three games against the Rays. But after significant injuries to some of their biggest stars, this wasn’t quite how they wanted this trip to begin.