"I hate seeing people talk sh*t": Blue Jays' Gausman defends Toronto

Kevin Gausman is the latest Toronto Blue Jays player to call out the perception of the city from outside sources.

With the Blue Jays missing out on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes as the two-way free agent superstar chose the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was to be expected what much of the media reaction would look like.

Of course, the biggest free agent the sport has ever had picking the massive market of LA has sprouted all sorts of opinions from opposing fans and American media alike — mostly around the idea that Ohtani made the right choice by sticking in the USA.

But Gausman — a Centennial, Colorado, native himself — pushed back against some of the criticism of his current city.

I hate seeing people talk shit about Toronto like they know it. If you live in Toronto you know how special of a place it is and how passionate the people are #GeauxCanada #GeauxBlueJays 🇨🇦🇨🇦

— Kevin Gausman (@KevinGausman) December 11, 2023

“I hate seeing people talk sh*t about Toronto like they know it. If you live in Toronto, you know how special of a place it is and how passionate the people are,” Gausman wrote on X today, adding the hashtags “#GeauxCanada” and #”GeauxBlueJays,” a nod to his time at Louisiana State University.

In his two years in Toronto since signing on a five-year, $110 million contract, Gausman has been the team’s most consistent starting pitcher, while also clearly embracing the city alongside his wife Taylor and their two daughters.

Gausman was 12-9 with an ERA of 3.16 and 237 strikeouts in 31 appearances in 2023, and earned his first-ever Cy Young nomination this past season.

Gausman’s comments are fresh off the heels of another former Jays star pitcher — Ricky Romero — calling out New York Post writer Jon Heyman for an article suggesting Toronto wasn’t a quality destination for Ohtani.

While Toronto may not have been able to land the sport’s biggest prize, it is at least comforting to see a few of the team’s marquee names come to the city’s defence.

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