Dylan Cease strikes out 12, setting Blue Jays record for pitcher debut in 8-7 walkoff win over Athletics
In his Toronto debut, Cease looked like the ace-level starter that signed for $210 million during the offseason.
The Toronto Blue Jays made one of the most eyebrow-raising signings of the offseason, adding pitcher Dylan Cease to a team that took the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 11th inning of Game 7 in the World Series. Making his first start for Toronto on Saturday, Cease demonstrated why he received a $210 million contract in free agency. The veteran right-hander set a record for a Blue Jays pitching debut with 12 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in an 8-7, 11-inning win over the Athletics.
He also allowed one run and three hits. Welcome to Toronto, Dylan Cease 🔥 pic. twitter.
com/M4KMlEaCtz — MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2026 David Price held the previous strikeout record for a Toronto pitcher, whiffing 11 batters in his first appearance for the Blue Jays in 2015 after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline . Price eventually went 9-1 with a 2. 10 ERA in 11 starts, the kind of success that the Blue Jays would love to see from Cease as they pursue another American League pennant.
[ Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season ] However, the Blue Jays’ lineup could only score one run for Cease while he was the pitcher of record, preventing him from earning a win in front of the home crowd at the Rogers Centre. After walking Nick Kurtz to lead off the sixth inning, Cease gave up an RBI double to Tyler Soderstrom to tie the score at 1-1. Brent Rooker then reached base on a fielder’s choice and Braydon Fisher came in to relieve Cease, who had thrown 90 pitches by that point.