Draft and minor leagues The
Baltimore Orioles selected Gausman in the first round with the fourth overall selection in the
2012 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Orioles for a
signing bonus of $4.32 million on July 13, 2012. Gausman started the 2013 season with the Double-A
Bowie Baysox.
Baltimore Orioles (2013–2018) The Orioles promoted Gausman to the major leagues to make his debut in Toronto against the
Blue Jays on May 23, 2013. Gausman pitched five innings and allowed seven hits, four runs, and two walks, while striking out five. He picked up the loss as the Orioles fell 12–6 to the Blue Jays. On June 14, Gausman was optioned to the Triple-A
Norfolk Tides. He was recalled again on June 24, and on June 28 he earned his first Major League win, against the
New York Yankees, pitching in relief of
T. J. McFarland, going innings, striking out four and allowing no walks and three hits. Gausman was optioned back to Norfolk on July 10. He was again recalled from the Norfolk Tides on August 28 and earned his second big league win, on September 1, also against the Yankees, this time at
Yankee Stadium.
2014 season On June 7, 2014, Gausman earned his first win as a starting pitcher, going seven innings against the
Oakland Athletics, allowing only one run, walking one, and striking out six. Following the best outing of his young career, Gausman pitched against the
AL East leading
Toronto Blue Jays where he went six innings, again allowing one run and striking out three. In the 2014 postseason, Gausman pitched out of the bullpen for the Orioles. Gausman pitched eight innings in three relief appearances, posting a 1.13 ERA and an 0.75
WHIP. The Orioles would sweep the Tigers in the
ALDS before being swept in the
ALCS by the Kansas City Royals. Gausman finished the 2014 campaign having made 20 starts, with one complete game (five innings, due to rain), posting a 3.57 ERA and a 7–7 win–loss record.
2015 season Gausman made 25 appearances in 2015 (17 starts). He posted a moderate 4.25 ERA, but struck out a career-high 103 batters, averaging 8.3
K/9. He posted a 4–7 record, as the Orioles finished 81–81 and didn't make the playoffs.
2016 season |alt=Kevin Gausman, in a gray Orioles jersey, throwing a pitch off the mound Gausman started the 2016 season on the disabled list. He made his season debut on April 25 against the Rays, earning a tough loss after going five innings and giving up one run on three hits. He earned a no decision in his next start, as the Orioles lost 8–7 against the
White Sox. Gausman went six innings, allowing three runs (two earned). His next start was the best of his career, as he pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only three hits along with no walks and four strikeouts. He earned a no decision, though, as the Orioles eventually won the game 1–0 in the tenth inning. Gausman pitched to a 4.15 ERA and 1–6 record in 15 pre-All Star Break starts. On August 28, Gausman pitched seven scoreless innings against the Yankees, raising his scoreless innings streak to 13 innings. In his next start against the Yankees, Gausman pitched six shutout innings, raising his scoreless innings streak to 19 innings. He struck out eight batters and won his career-high fourth straight start. Gausman also tied his career high with his seventh win of the year, while lowering his ERA to 3.58. He extended the scoreless innings streak to 21 against the Tigers before allowing a run in the second inning of a 4–3 loss. Following this start, he threw eight scoreless innings in a 1–0 victory over the
Red Sox, improving to 8–10 on the year and lowering his ERA to 3.43. Gausman finished the year 11–12, despite pitching to a 3.61 ERA, due to low run support. He pitched a career-high in innings, and struck out a career-high 174 batters. His 8.716
K/9 and his 3.706
K/BB were both 10th in the AL.
2017 season On March 28, 2017, Gausman was named the Orioles'
Opening Day starting pitcher for the first time in his career. He pitched innings on Opening Day, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks, while also striking out four batters. Gausman earned the no decision. On May 3, Gausman was ejected for the first time in his major league career after hitting
Xander Bogaerts with a pitch. On July 29, Gausman pitched the longest outing of his career against the
Texas Rangers, going 8 shutout innings while striking out eight batters and earning the victory. For the season, he led the league with 34 starts, and his 179 strikeouts and innings pitched were both 10th in the AL. His 8.630
K/9 was 10th in the AL. On April 23, in a start against the
Cleveland Indians, Gausman threw the 90th
immaculate inning in MLB history, striking out three batters in one inning on just nine pitches. He was the third Orioles pitcher to throw an immaculate inning and the first since
B.J. Ryan in 1999, who also accomplished the feat against the Cleveland Indians.
Atlanta Braves (2018–2019) On July 31, 2018, Gausman along with
Darren O'Day, was traded to the
Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor leaguers
Brett Cumberland, Jean Carlos Encarnacion,
Evan Phillips,
Bruce Zimmermann, and international signing money. During spring training in 2019, Gausman dealt with a sore shoulder. He began the season rehabilitating in the minor leagues, and made his season debut on April 5. On May 3, 2019, Gausman was ejected from a game against the
Miami Marlins by umpire
Jeff Nelson for throwing behind
José Ureña. He and Ureña had last faced each other on August 15, 2018, when Ureña hit the Braves'
Ronald Acuña with a pitch.
Major League Baseball fined and suspended Gausman for five games. Gausman initially appealed the suspension. On May 12, Gausman dropped his appeal. In 16 starts, he was 3–7 with a career-high 6.19 ERA and struck out 85 batters in 80 innings.
Cincinnati Reds (2019) On August 5, 2019, the
Cincinnati Reds claimed Gausman off waivers from the Braves. With the Reds, Gausman became a reliever. Gausman struck out all six
St. Louis Cardinals batters he faced on August 18, including tossing his second career
immaculate inning. With Cincinnati in 2019, Gausman was 0–2 with a 4.03 ERA in 15 games (one start) in which he threw innings, walked five batters, and struck out 29 batters.
San Francisco Giants (2020–2021) 2020 season On December 10, 2019, Gausman signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the
San Francisco Giants. During the shortened 2020 season, Gausman had a major bounce-back season, in which he was 3–3 with a 3.62 ERA and 15 walks and 79 strikeouts in innings in 12 games (10 starts), and a career-low 1.106
WHIP along with a career-high 11.9
K/9.
2021 season Gausman was the 2021 Opening Day starter for the Giants. He was named the National League
Pitcher of the Month for May. He won five games during the month, maintained an ERA of 0.73, and allowed an opponent
slash line of .165/.201/.241. He was a 2021 National League All Star. Gausman, slashing .184/.212/.184 as a batter, was called upon to pinch-hit in the bottom of the 11th with the bases loaded and one out, and the game tied 5–5. On a full count, he hit his first career
sacrifice fly, scoring
Brandon Crawford to win the game. Gausman described it as "the coolest thing I've ever done in my entire career". In the regular season in 2021, Gausman was 14–6 with a 2.81 ERA (6th in the NL). In a National League-leading 33 starts, he pitched 192 innings (5th) and had 227 strikeouts (4th). In 2022, Gausman made 31 starts during the regular season with a 12–10 record, 3.35 ERA, and 205 strikeouts. He started Game 2 of the
Wild Card Series, allowing 4 runs in innings in a loss to the
Seattle Mariners. In 2023, Gausman had a 3.16 ERA over 185 innings and an AL-best 237 strikeouts. He finished third in 2023
Cy Young Award voting. He lost Game 1 of the
Wild Card Series, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings against the
Minnesota Twins. In 2024, Gausman made 31 starts with a 14–11 record and a 3.83 ERA with 162 strikeouts. On September 12, 2025 against the
Houston Astros, Gausman pitched a complete game, allowing two hits and walking just one batter, while striking out nine batters in a 6–0 victory. It was Gausman's fourth career complete game and second career
shutout. ==Pitching style==