TORONTO -- Kevin Gausman is tasked with keeping the Blue Jays¡¯ season alive in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series.

After leaving his last regular-season outing with a cut in his right middle finger, Gausman will start the win-or-go-home game on Saturday, as the Blue Jays look to rally back from a 4-0 loss to the Mariners in Friday¡¯s Game 1.

After six postseason appearances since 2014, the right-hander understands the assignment.

¡°That¡¯s the one thing about the postseason,¡± Gausman said on Thursday. ¡°You¡¯ve just got to be ready for whenever or whoever it is.¡±

Gausman is no stranger to the rigors of October. He was in the visitors¡¯ dugout with the Orioles when Edwin Encarnaci¨®n hit an 11th-inning walk-off home run in the 2016 Wild Card Game at Rogers Centre, by then having already pitched in three postseason games.

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¡°I¡¯d pitched the last game of the [regular] season, so I didn¡¯t have anything to do with [the Wild Card contest]. But, man, it was electric,¡± Gausman said of the Blue Jays¡¯ win in 2016. ¡°It was nerve-racking. I remember the next day, my head was hurting, because I think I was so locked in on every pitch.¡±

The days of a single-game Wild Card setting are over, but the pressure of the moment remains. Adding to the intrigue: Gausman will face Robbie Ray, who won the AL Cy Young Award last year with the Blue Jays before signing a five-year deal with the Mariners in the offseason.

On Friday, the Blue Jays came undone by a couple of mistakes from starter Alek Manoah and an inability to string together consistent at-bats. Righting the ship and keeping the season alive will hinge heavily on how Gausman performs in Game 2.?

¡°Turning to a guy like him in a must-win game is something we feel really good about,¡± said Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider after Friday¡¯s loss. ¡°He's been a leader in the clubhouse, a leader of the staff. He has had an amazing year, so we're looking for just another quality outing from him.¡±

If Manoah emerged as the Blue Jays¡¯ ace this season, Gausman was a very close second.

The 31-year-old delivered a 3.35 ERA with 205 strikeouts over 174 2/3 innings in his first season with Toronto, turning his splitter into an art form and playing it well off of a four-seam fastball and slider.

He¡¯s also been a much-needed steady hand throughout the year.

¡°Once you get to the postseason, don¡¯t try to think too much,¡± Gausman said of his season and the Blue Jays¡¯ performance. ¡°Just go out there and give it your all, and know that things are going to be heightened, but [don¡¯t] let them snowball.¡±

A point of concern for the Blue Jays may be Gausman¡¯s numbers while pitching at home. The righty has allowed a 4.57 ERA at Rogers Centre against a 2.30 mark on the road. Opponents have hit .305 with a .805 OPS against him in Toronto, but just .243 and .604 in other ballparks.

Still, this is the most important moment of his team¡¯s year. And he embraces the opportunity to play in front of his fans.

¡°Home-field advantage is huge,¡± said Gausman. ¡°We¡¯re going to rely on these Canadians to bring some energy. ¡­ I like our lineup, I like our staff and our bullpen has been unbelievable all year.¡±

That bullpen carried a heavier load than perhaps the Blue Jays would have liked in Game 1. Toronto used five relievers on Friday, and though almost all of them were kept to a low pitch count, Schneider and the team would benefit from a tighter performance from their Saturday starter, who went six innings or more in 18 of his 31 regular-season starts.

But no one is losing sight of all the nuances of October.

¡°The biggest thing that George [Springer] talked about was: just go out and have fun,¡± said Gausman. ¡°I think it¡¯s great that we have three games, because those first couple of innings go by pretty quick.¡±