“People of Toronto! I am searching for the best cinnamon rolls in the city!”
Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman put that message out to his 63,000 Twitter followers at the end of April and was flooded with responses, with fans suggesting local spots from Baker Bots to Bloomers and several places in between.
But for the 32-year-old, the call-out wasn’t just about the tasty pastry treat (although a lot of it was about the food). It was another part of trying to work himself into the fabric of the city.
If you wanted to find a Blue Jay outside the ballpark in the early days of the franchise, it wasn’t always easy to do. Most who had young families wanted a house with a yard in Oakville and Burlington.
In more recent years, Jays players tended not to stray far from the ballpark, most never venturing west of Spadina Avenue or north of King Street.
But this group is different. Gausman, his wife and two daughters have a house in North York. Fellow starter Chris Bassitt and outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer are among a group who live closer to Hogg’s Hollow than Queens Quay.
“I’m super happy that we were able to buy a house up in Toronto,” Gausman said on Episode 111 of the Star’s “Deep Left Field” podcast. “I really love the city. I love all of our neighbours. I couldn’t imagine being in a better area for my family, being able to walk around the neighbourhood. There’s just so much character in Toronto.”
The 32-year-old, who grew up just outside of Denver in Centennial, Colo. and spends his off-seasons in Louisiana, didn’t want what little down time he gets in the summer to be spent in the suburbs.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman walks past a Canadian maple leaf during baseball spring training in Dunedin, Fla.
Nathan Denette“After sitting down with my wife (Taylor), we wanted to be close enough to where we could still feel like we were a part of the city, and we definitely feel that way,” Gausman said. “We’re seven miles (11.3 kilometres) from Rogers Centre, so we’re pretty close. But obviously with traffic it takes a while.
“Knowing that we’re going to be here for five years, we really wanted to still be in the community and feel like we’re close enough to where we can still be a part of anything that’s going on in the city if we want to, but still far enough out to where my girls can have a backyard.”
Days off during a baseball season are rare things. Days off at home, when there’s no travel involved, are even rarer. The Jays only have eight such days this year, leaving limited time to go out and explore the city.
“I haven’t been to the Beaches yet,” said Gausman. “I really want to go to the Beaches. I haven’t been to the island, either — my family went last year. It’s such a cool, unique city. It’s very clean, it’s very safe, and the people love the Blue Jays and love their sports teams, and so it’s just really fun.”
There are still three seasons remaining on the five-year, $110-million (U.S.) contract Gausman signed just before Major League Baseball began a 99-day lockout in December 2021, so there will be plenty of opportunities to get to the beach and the Toronto Islands and more as he tries to pitch the Jays to the playoffs for a second straight year and third time in four seasons.
The right-hander is having another terrific season, having allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his 10 outings heading into Friday night’s start in Minnesota, though he only has two wins to show for it.
Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre.
Steve RussellWhile Gausman has yet to hit all the spots he wants to in Toronto, he has enjoyed exploring the food scene. Among his favourite “bougie supermarkets,” as he puts it, are Pusateri’s and Cumbrae’s. He’s also a big fan of Stock T.C, a Yonge and Eglinton spot that combines a fancy grocery store and butcher with a rooftop restaurant. But he loves every place he’s found.
“There are so many good hole-in-the-wall places,” raved Gausman. “I found a Japanese pancake place the other day … whatever you want, you can find. If you want a Jewish-style bakery that’s going to make apple strudel the way you want, you can find it. If you want Jamaican food, you can find Jamaican food. There’s actually a ton of really good Jamaican food places. I mean, I love food. I love going and checking out unique places.
“Really, like, all of them are great. I haven’t been to a bad one, to be honest. And all the food is way healthier than it is in the States.”
Well, maybe not the cinnamon buns.
And as far as the pastry chase has gone, Gausman has had a couple of deliveries from people at the ballpark, including Michael Basciano, who works security above the Jays bullpen and hatched a plan to provide the pitcher with a treat from the Cinnabon at Eglinton subway station.
“I read his tweet about the buns,” Basciano explained. “I live right there, Yonge and Eglinton. I walk by it all the time and this was my favourite, so I went and I took it.”
Gausman brought the treat home and enjoyed it with his daughter the next morning. Back at the ballpark, he gave Basciano his review: delicious.
Baseball, however, is a much bigger deal than dessert, even for a noted foodie like Gausman. And playing for the only team in Canada has made a big impact.
Kevin Gausman throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in Toronto.
Lance McMillan“I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I signed,” Gausman said. “I didn’t understand ‘one team for an entire country’ until I was here for a full year and really understood. It’s cool to have one team that literally the entire country is rooting for and wants nothing more than for you to do well.
“It’s just super unique and makes it even that much more special, and gives you more motivation to win something. The way I think about it, it’s almost like the guys who broke the curse in Chicago. If we can win a championship for Toronto, I feel pretty confident saying that you’d probably be a legend in Toronto forever.”
He’d never pay for a cinnamon bun in this city again.
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