Chicago Cubs at Kansas City Royals

After Kevin Gausman fired one of his trademark splitters beyond the reach of Royals outfielder Starling Marte’s bat, the new Cubs starter headed off the Kauffman Stadium mound. As Gausman walked back to the dugout following that seventh-inning strikeout, there were clear cheers from the Chicago fans occupying the ballpark. “That was cool,” Gausman said. “Definitely something I wasn’t expecting, being on the road. That’s the cool part about being part of such a huge fan base. They travel well. They’re excited about this team for good reason.” Gausman is one of those reasons. In a 6-4 win over the Royals on Friday night, Gausman showed why the Cubs’ front office sent a pair of prospects to Toronto to land the veteran right-hander. Making his debut for the North Siders, Gausman turned in seven innings, equaling his longest outing of the year and the longest start of the season for a Cubs pitcher. The mound was finally a source of calm in a whirlwind week. Gausman had an emotional outing in front of Blue Jays fans last Saturday, knowing that it could be his final start for Toronto after five seasons with the ballclub. That proved accurate when the Cubs swung their trade to land him on Sunday night. Then came the packing and the travel and the media interviews. Adding to the pile, the Blue Jays came to Wrigley Field on Thursday for a makeup game against the Cubs. Gausman could have pitched in that one, but acknowledged that would have been difficult on him. The pitcher added that it was also his young daughter’s birthday on Thursday as well.