Kevin Gausman pitched the first nine-inning complete game of his career and the Toronto Blue Jays rebounded from a walk-off loss the night before to thump the host Oakland Athletics 7-0 on Saturday afternoon. Gausman (5-4), who pitched the 2020 and 2021 seasons across the San Francisco Bay for the Giants, enjoyed a homecoming of sorts with the fifth win in his last six decisions. He allowed just five hits and one walk, striking out a season-high-tying 10.
The 33-year-old threw just the second complete game of his big-league career. The other was stopped after five innings in the Baltimore Orioles' 3-1 win over the New York Yankees on July 13, 2014. All 109 pitches Gausman threw were with a lead, thanks to the Blue Jays scoring a first-inning run for the first time in their last 30 games.
Danny Jansen gave Toronto the lead for good with a sacrifice fly, an advantage the visitors took into the fifth before Kevin Kiermaier, batting ninth, launched his second homer of the season off A's starter Luis Medina (0-1). Making just his second major league start of the season, Medina then retired the next two Blue Jays before yielding consecutive doubles to Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Jansen to make it 4-0.
Medina was gone after he walked Daniel Vogelbach, and Toronto completed its big inning at the expense of Jack O'Loughlin with an RBI single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and a run-scoring wild pitch for 6-0. Medina was charged with six runs on five hits and five walks over 4 2/3 inning.
