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Comparing Kevin Gausman’s Opening Day start to the other 49 in Blue Jays’ history
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Mar 30, 2026, 12:30 EDTUpdated: Mar 30, 2026, 11:13 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are looking like a wagon.
For the first time since 1996, the Jays have started the season 3-0 thanks to a series sweep over the Athletics. A big reason for the three wins is thanks to their pitchers, as Kevin Gausman, Dylan Case, and Eric Lauer combined for 31 strikeouts. Gausman’s Opening Day start was the tone-setter.
Over six innings of work, Gausman struck out 11 batters while giving up just one base runner. Shea Langeliers punished the lone changeup Gausman threw in the game. That said, where does Gausman’s Opening Day start rank among the other 49 Opening Day starts in team history?

Comparing Kevin Gausman’s Opening Day start

Game Score (GSc) is a stat that measures a pitcher’s performance. It’s not an end-all-be-all stat, but Kevin Gausman’s 77 GSc is well above the average of 50. In fact, it’s considered the best start by a Blue Jay on Opening Day, just edging out Marcus Stroman’s start in 2019.
Stroman pitched terrifically that day, walking four, striking out seven, and allowing just two hits over seven innings of work. Three years before that, Stroman pitched eight innings with six hits and three earned runs to allow for a GSc of 62. From 2011 until 2025, Stroman had the only two Opening Day starts with a GSc higher than 60.
There was one other Opening Day start by a Blue Jay that had a GSc above 70. Funnily enough, it was the first game of one of just three seasons where the Jays started 3-0, as Jack Morris pitched nine innings with five hits allowed, two earned runs, three walks, and seven strikeouts. That helped the Jays begin the season 6-0 and eventually capture their first World Series.
Morris is the only Blue Jays’ Opening Day starter who has pitched the entire game. He also happens to own the worst game by GSc, as he had a line of 4.1 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 2 K in the first game of 1993, giving him a GSc of 13. That’s just slightly worse than Mark Bomback’s 15 GSc in 1982.
Gausman’s 11 strikeouts were the most of any Blue Jays’ Opening Day start, followed by Esteban Loaiza in 2001 and Roy Halladay in 2004, who each had nine. Loaiza was a journeyman pitcher who was a solid performer at the back-end of the rotation. That wasn’t even his best start of the season, as he went nine scoreless innings on September 2nd, 2001 for a GSc of 79. His Opening Day start had a GSc of 65, which was his fifth best game, even though he finished the season with a 5.02 ERA.
Halladay on the other hand, is Roy Halladay. He made seven consecutive Opening Day starts from 2003 until 2009, with his best Opening Day start coming in 2006. That game saw him post a line of 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 4 K. The Hall of Famer obviously had better non-Opening Day starts.
Unsurprisingly, the best pitcher in team history made the most Opening Day starts, but Dave Stieb, made four Opening Day starts. He had two games with a GSc in the 30s, but his best Opening Day start came in his first back in 1983, when he went six innings with three hits allowed,  one earned run, four walks, and seven strikeouts for a 65 GSc.
The only other pitcher with three or more consecutive Opening Day starts is Jimmy Key during the late 1980s. And oh boy was he consistent, going six innings with two earned runs in all three games. He finished with a 58 GSc in 1987, a 51 GSc in 1988, and a 56 GSc in 1988.
José Berríos is the only other pitcher on the 2026 Blue Jays roster who has made an Opening Day start for the Blue Jays, making three to be exact. His start in 2024 saw him go six innings with six hits allowed, two earned runs, a walk, and six strikeouts for a GSc of 57. Berríos’ other two Opening Day starts, in 2022 and 2025, didn’t go nearly as well, posting a 27 and 28 GSc.
Of all 50 Opening Day starts, Gausman’s 11 strikeouts are the most, while he’s also given up the fewest hits. Gausman’s six innings are tied for 17th-most, but aside from Stroman’s two Opening Day starts, no other pitcher has gone more than six innings in an Opening Day start in the last decade.
It’s hard to argue against Gausman’s Opening Day start being the best in team history.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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