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The 22-year-old rookie advanced through four levels of the minors this season and it was easy to see why against the Rays in Tampa. Yesavage allowed just one run on three hits and a pair of walks across five-plus innings in the Jays’ 2-1 victory in 11 innings.

With the win and a Yankees loss, the Jays extended their lead in the American League East to five games. Their magic number to win the division is seven with 12 games remaining. The magic number to clinch at least a wild-card spot is four.

There had been lots of talk about Yesavage’s ability to miss bats during his rise through the minors, and with good reason. He struck out 14.7 batters per nine innings with a 3.12 ERA across 25 appearances thanks to a lethal three-pitch mix that features a mid-90s fastball, splitter and slider from an unusually high arm angle.

In his debut, the performance matched the hype.

Yesavage got nine of 15 outs via strikeout, including five consecutive batters during the third and fourth innings. He generated an eye-popping 11 whiffs on 14 swing attempts  vs. his splitter, and four apiece on his fastball and slider.

The only rough patch came in the first inning, which has been a problem in his debut at every level.

In the first inning of his first outing at low Class-A Dunedin, Yesavage walked the first two batters and gave up a pair of runs. At high-A Vancouver, there was a walk to the first hitter and then a two-run homer. During his debut at Double-A New Hampshire, Yesavage walked the first three. At Triple-A Buffalo, he walked three of the first four and surrendered a single to the other.

Yesavage, a first-round pick in last year’s draft, previously admitted to feeling nervous in each of those outings, and his first start in the majors appeared similar. Chandler Simpson led off the game with a single before Yandy Diaz brought him home on a double to right. Two batters later, Junior Caminero walked to put runners on first and second with one out.

The game could have easily gotten away from him, but those early struggles were followed by a quick turnaround, just like in the minors. Yesavage escaped the first without any other damage by getting Josh Lowe and Jake Mangum on a pair of grounders. He then retired 14 the next 15 batters with ease, while throwing 49 of 69 pitches for strikes.

The nine strikeouts set a Jays record for a pitcher’s debut. Even more impressive: according to Sportsnet Stats, his whiff rate of 52.8 per cent was the highest for any major-league debut with a minimum of 60 pitches.

The only reason Yesavage didn’t earn a win was because Rays starter Joe Boyle performed even better. He tossed six scoreless, and the Jays weren’t able to get on the scoreboard until an Andrés Giménez sacrifice fly in the eighth. The game remained tied at one until the 11th, when George Springer hit an RBI single. Braydon Fisher got the victory after he tossed a scoreless 10th and escaped runners on the corners with nobody out in the 11th.

Yesavage’s dominant performance adds an interesting wrinkle to the Jays’ post-season strategy.

The playoffs start in two weeks and they already have a full complement of starters in Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and José Berríos. Lefty Eric Lauer had been considered the backup starter until he got moved aside for Yesavage.

While Yesavage had long been expected to be called up in September, the assumption was that he would pitch out of the bullpen. By giving him this start, the Jays signalled that he will also receive consideration for a larger role. If he wasn’t an option for the rotation, it would have made more sense to get him adjusted to relief instead.

The Jays only need four starters for a best-of-five division series, or a best-of-seven championship series. Gausman and Bieber are the locks, and now it appears Yesavage will be in the mix alongside Scherzer and Bassitt for Games 3 and 4.

If the Jays stick with the veterans, Yesavage could be used as a bulk reliever. However, the Jays also could be looking to gain an advantage by starting him in the playoffs against teams that have never seen him before. Based on how Monday night went, and how confused the Rays hitters were for most of his outing, anything is possible.

There isn’t much time left to evaluate. Yesavage has at most two starts remaining in the regular season. Changing course now seems a bit extreme. Then again, if the Jays believe he will keep pitching like he did against the Rays, his upside might force their hand.