Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman is looking like an upgrade to a Cy Young winner

In the winter after the 1992 season, Pat Gillick shook up the baseball world by signing Paul Molitor to be the Blue Jays’ primary designated hitter as they pursued a second straight World Series championship.

It was stunning not just because Molitor had played all of what would be a Hall of Fame career in Milwaukee to that point, but also because Dave Winfield, the DH who had driven in 108 runs for the Jays at the age of 40 and knocked in the World Series-winning run a month-and-a half earlier, was still on the market.

The Jays did something similar this past winter. They went out and signed right-hander Kevin Gausman to a five-year contract even though Robbie Ray, a Cy Young winner with the Jays last year, was still available in free agency. Ray signed with Seattle the next day. It took 10 days after Molitor signed for Winfield to land in Minnesota.

We’re only a month into this season but, after another spectacular performance by Gausman in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday, there appear to be parallels. Molitor was an improvement over Winfield, leading the league in hits, finishing second in the batting race (to teammate John Olerud and eventually being named World Series MVP. Gausman, in his first five starts, is looking every bit the Cy Young winner that Ray was, if not better.

“It’s been special, from his first start” Jays closer Jordan Romano said after he closed the books on Gausman’s second win of the season. “Honestly, what impresses me is how in control of the game he is at all times. If runners get on, you know he’s going to get a big strikeout, a big out. He’s really been awesome to watch.”

The 31-year-old Gausman hasn’t walked anyone in five starts, nor has he given up a single home run. The last big-league pitcher to do that was Cy Young, in 1903.

“It’s not like I’m not trying to walk guys,” Gausman after the game. “I’m just throwing competitive pitches and, for the most part, getting ahead.”

He threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 27 Astros hitters he faced Sunday, falling behind 2-0 only twice. He got to a three-ball count once, striking out Yordan Álvarez on a filthy 3-2 splitter in the second inning.

“I’m not going to throw many balls,” said Gausman, who threw 71 strikes in his 98-pitch outing Sunday. “I’m not going to throw five balls in a row, so, if I can get ahead, I just feel confident.”

So do his teammates. “What he’s been able to do in his five starts is incredible,” said reliever David Phelps. “Five starts, no walks, no homers. You don’t see that in today’s game. It’s really impressive what he’s doing, he’s an ace in every sense of the word.”

Bo Bichette, who homered to break up Framber Valdez’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning, giving the Jays a brief 2-1 lead, didn’t bite on the Gausman-Ray comparison, but he’s definitely a big fan of his new teammate.

“Two different guys,” Bichette said, “but Gaus has been awesome. He’s attacking the zone, his stuff is great. He’s fun to play behind and awesome to watch.”

Even if the comparison of Molitor replacing Winfield to Gausman replacing Ray is apt, the current Jays aren’t looking to defend a championship, they’re trying to get into the post-season after missing out by one game last year. The way they’ve played to start the season, especially given the opponents they’ve faced, has shown just how good they might be.

The Jays have played the Astros, Red Sox and Yankees in five of their seven series and have won all but one, splitting four games against the Yankees in New York. They’ve won two series — one on the road, one at home — against Houston, a team that went to the World Series last year.

“(The Astros have) done it for a few years now,” Bichette said. “They’ve played at the highest level and won a lot of really big games. Obviously this (series win) is not the end goal for us, but I think it’s a good measuring stick.”

While the Jays still feel the impact of just missing the post-season last year, Gausman is dealing with something similar. He was the ace of the 107-win San Francisco Giants last season, a team that got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. That’s why he’s taking the long view about his once-in-a-century performance.

“It’s cool,” Gausman said of joining Young in the history book, “but this game wasn’t the last game of the season, we’re not the last team standing yet. So onto the next one.”

The next one is a visit from the Yankees, winners of nine straight. Another big test for a team that has passed them all so far.

THREE THINGS

Three things you need to know about the Blue Jays’ 3-2 win over Houston at Rogers Centre on Sunday:

Hustle pays off

With the Jays (and everybody else) scuffling to score runs, every little ounce of extra effort helps. The Jays were down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, with Bradley Zimmer on first but still without a hit against Valdez, when George Springer hit a ground ball to third and busted it down the line to beat out the double-play relay. Bo Bichette followed by taking care of the no-hitter, the shutout and the Houston lead with a two-run homer the other way.

The next inning, Matt Chapman raced to first to beat out a double-play ball of his own. Two batters later, he scored the eventual game-winning run on Santiago Espinal’s single.

History is made

Gausman had another brilliant outing, going seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out 10 without a walk and threw 98 pitches, the most a Jays pitcher has thrown in any outing this year.

Game-saving catch

The Astros had their chance to tie the game in the ninth inning, only to have it stolen by an old friend. With Kyle Tucker at second, Alex Bregman ended a 10-pitch battle with Romano by launching a fly ball to deep right field. Springer hauled it in with a sensational diving catch, going full Superman on the warning track to take away what would have been a game-tying double. Romano struck out the next hitter, Jeremy Peña, to notch his 11th save.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness

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