"Tough the way we lost. A lot of weird things happened" - All-Star ace Kevin Gausman reacts to Blue Jays' devastating loss to Mariners, leading to playoff exit

Toronto Blue Jays star Kevin Gausman was devastated after his team was eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday. The Blue Jays had an 8-1 lead after five innings but failed to square the series as the Seattle Mariners recovered to seal a 10-9 victory.

Gausman said it was a hard pill to swallow, given how the game slipped away.

“Tough the way we lost. A lot of weird things happened," he told MLB.com. "It’s just a heartbreaking loss. Tough to watch. It sucks when you're out of the game and you don't have any more say in it, right? You're essentially just watching and hoping. Yeah … that was tough.”

The comeback was the second-largest in playoff history and the largest for a team away from home. The Mariners will now face the Houston Astros in a best-of-five series.

Jays manager John Schneider was happy with the pitcher's return to the team but was disappointed with the result. He said:

“Gausman was outstanding I think. There’s always going to be times where I can sit here for about six months and second guess myself… but right now I don’t. You trust the guys that got you here. You trust your entire roster. And today, you know, we didn’t get it done. And that sucks right now.”

Toronto Blue Jays and Kevin Gausman will have to move on from the disappointing loss

Kevin Gausman couldn't help his team from a playoff elimination against the Seattle Mariners

Kevin Gausman returned to the line-up for Game 2 after the Jays were shut out by the duo of Luis Castillo and Andres Munoz in the series opener. The right-hander posted a 3.90 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 99:10 K-BB in 14 starts after the All-Star break, but suffered a laceration to his hand, keeping him out of the final few games of the regular season.

However, his return could not prevent the Blue Jays from enduring a bitter end to their season. The team will move back to the drawing board after an early exit from the postseason.

The Jays have improved massively in recent seasons and will take heart from a second-placed finish in the AL East with 92 wins in the regular season, behind the New York Yankees, who finished with a 99-63 record.