Ahead of Chicago Cubs debut, Kevin Gausman eager for another dose of the ‘addicting drug’: the World Series

Kevin Gausman’s mission with the Chicago Cubs remains part of an ongoing pursuit throughout his 14 major-league seasons.

He reached the World Series last year with Toronto, getting the Game 6 start, yet ultimately was part of a postseason run that fell devastatingly short against the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Blue Jays couldn’t close out a 3-2 series lead and dropped Game 7 in extra innings. The Cubs’ acquisition of Gausman signaled not only the front office’s belief in the roster but in the 35-year-old’s track record and postseason experience.

And for Gausman, there’s only one goal in mind: returning to the World Series — this time with the Cubs.

“It’s an addicting drug once you get there,” Gausman said Wednesday. “Losing was heartbreaking, but I wish every big-leaguer could experience playing in the World Series because that’s what we all dreamt of as kids, and to be able to do it was so much fun but also very heartbreaking. And once you’re there, all you want to do is get back, so I’m really excited to hopefully get back there with this team.”

Gausman is scheduled to make his Cubs debut Friday night against the Kansas City Royals looking to be a little more consistent. Since his roughest outing of the season June 19 versus — coincidentally — the Cubs, Gausman has a 6.47 ERA with 20 walks in 40 1/3 innings.

“The biggest thing, I need to be an innings eater here, and that’s why they brought me here is to start games and go deep into games like I always have,” Gausman said.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has long had Gausman on his radar dating to the right-hander’s days in Baltimore at the beginning of his career. Hoyer referred to Gausman as their “white whale” target after landing him in a deal Sunday night. Gausman is looking forward to having the Cubs’ elite defense behind him when he takes the mound at Kauffman Stadium.

“It more so just allows you to be on the attack mode,” Gausman said. “In every situation, you feel like no matter what’s going to happen, the outcome is usually going to be on your side.”

Dansby Swanson played with Gausman in Atlanta during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He always has been impressed by how the game never seems to speed up on Gausman.

“There’s always things he can fall back to and always consistently commit to, and obviously, it’s a little bit of a unique delivery,” Swanson said. “It’s got plus extension. It’s got carry, and just how he pitches, then obviously with the split — he just puts you in a bind consistently and makes you have to pick one or the other. And if you don’t get what you’re necessarily looking for it can be really tough.”

“One of the things I love about Gaus is he obviously got drafted high, hit some bumps along the road, kept with it, stuck with it, became a really, really freaking good pitcher and has had a lot of success in this league,” Swanson added. “Gaus just battled through the adversity. That’s something that’s so cool, and I enjoy having guys that battle through something to end up achieving at a high level.”

The Cubs have not yet had a pitcher get into the eighth inning this season. Ideally, the addition of Gausman and Clay Holmes, who is penciled in to start Saturday in Game 2 of the series, takes stress off a bullpen that at times has had to carry a heavy load, particularly when enduring the injuries that have tested the group.

Only four days after he learned of the trade while on the Blue Jays’ flight to Houston on Sunday night, Gausman reunited with his former Blue Jays teammates Thursday at Wrigley Field. Had the veteran not been traded, he would have faced the Cubs on Thursday, what he had called a revenge game he circled after his new club tagged him back in June for seven runs in two innings.

Instead, Gausman gets the ball Friday with a chance to keep the Cubs’ strong stretch rolling.

“I’ve been on a team before where at the deadline it felt like if they could bring in some pieces and they didn’t, and so obviously I’m new to this team, but being a part of a team when they can bring guys in, you know that they’re going for it,” Gausman said. “It’s almost like a shot of adrenaline and can kind of breathe some life into the team. It doesn’t seem like this team needs it, to be honest, but I’m still excited to be here.”