The Toronto Blue Jays will send Kevin Gausman to the mound to start Game 1 against the New York Yankees on Saturday when the American League Divisional Series begins at Rogers Centre.
The 34-year-old right-hander will be making his fourth career postseason start and his third as a Blue Jay.
"Any time you get to toe the rubber for the biggest game of the year up to that point, it kind of shows that they have faith in you and that they believe in you," Gausman said on Friday. "I'm ready to go. I'm fired up."
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Gausman pitched in the 2022 and 2023 postseasons for the Jays in series they lost to the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins.
"As you get older and further along in your career, you don't take these opportunities for granted," said John Schneider, the Blue Jays manager. "I know that Kevin has spoken openly about that, an opportunity to set the tone in the series. For as even-keeled as he is, I think you'll see a little more emotion out of Kev."
Gausman says this time feels different.
"I was thinking about '22 the other day, and pitching here in '22, that postseason compared to now, completely different. Kind of fresh into the organization, still didn't really know what it meant to be a Blue Jay to be honest," Gausman said.
"I think now I understand we have one team for an entire country ... there's extra pressure that comes with that, but there's a lot of love."
He acknowledged the star-studded team from New York presents challenges, especially hard-slugging 6-foot-7 Aaron Judge.
"He's a lot bigger than most guys, first off. He can hit pitches that most guys can't hit. He can mis-hit a ball and still hit a home run. He's just that strong," Gausman said. "With that, you've just got to know that you've got to be a little bit more fine when he comes up."
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This year, Gausman was 10-11 and had a 3.59 earned-run average in 193 innings pitched. That included 16 quality starts and 189 strikeouts, which led the Jays.
He pitched Toronto's regular-season finale on Sunday, so he comes into Game 1 on typical rest. The Jays counted on him to help get the victory that sealed the American League East. While the Jays got the celebratory win, Gausman allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks across just 3 ⅔ innings against Tampa, not as sharp as he'd been in some of his other recent outings.
Gausman's most memorable late-year performances include his masterful complete-game, two-hit shutout versus the Houston Astros, and his eight-inning gem in the Bronx, when he allowed four hits and one earned run in a dominant 7-1 win over the Yankees.
"You don't worry about him getting caught up in the noise and the stuff that goes with a Game 1," Schneider said. "Veteran pitcher going against a veteran lineup and knowing how to make some adjustments too."
Gausman can remember the emotions of seeing Rogers Centre full and ready to open a postseason.
"I can kind of go back on how crazy and electric it was in '22, but I also think it's going to be completely different," Gausman added. "I just think it's going to be an awesome atmosphere that the guys are fired up to see how crazy these Canadians are going to be."
Schneider did not reveal what the rest of Toronto's pitching rotation will look like.
Whether or not star shortstop Bo Bichette can return - and when - also still remains unclear. Schneider called him day to day on Friday and did not say if he will make the ALDS roster.
"Coming right down to the wire," Schneider said. "We'll see how today goes and make that decision [Saturday]."