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Varland allowed a run in his 1 1/3 innings of work, putting the Blue Jays behind 3-1. Dominguez then had a perfect inning before manager John Schneider called Gausman out of the bullpen. Usually a starter, Gausman issued three walks in the relief appearance but got out of the inning unscathed.
Gausman was the pitcher of record when George Springer hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to take the lead.
“Oh, it was fun. I mean, I was rocking, and as you saw, it was a little hard for me to find the zone,” said Gausman on the field at Rogers Centre, cradling the American League championship trophy in his arms. “But I made a big pitch and got a double play and made another play to get a big out.
“I was pretty fired up.”
Bassitt came on in the eighth, getting a strikeout to earn a hold before Hoffman struck out the side in the ninth for his second save of the post-season.
Schneider said in his post-game news conference that Gausman and Bassitt were “gutsy” for stepping into unfamiliar roles as relievers but succeeding.
“I think that I try to learn from every experience that you’ve been through, and Game 7 is a whole different animal where things get a little bit quirky, you know?” said Schneider. “There comes a time where you just trust people and you just trust guys that have been there, right?”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2025.
