Before he signed the biggest and most important contract of his career, Kevin Gausman did his research.

The Blue Jays ace wanted to pitch for a contender and he wanted it bad.

On Saturday night at the Rogers Centre, Gausman got that opportunity and climbed aboard the World Series stage, pitching his guts out in what turned out to be a heart-wrenching 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After retiring 17 consecutive Dodgers and seemingly getting stronger almost by the pitch, Gausman wavered just enough in the seventh, blinking twice, to let triumph get away.

A home run by Will Smith gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, and two batters later Max Muncy followed with his own solo shot — both high over the wall in left field — to provide the visitors with all the runs they would need.

The buzzkil

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