Chris Bassitt says he went into Thursday’s start vs. the Blue Jays trying maintain tunnel vision and ignore who he was facing:
“I didn’t want to have a bad one against those guys, especially. I know how much crap talk they’re gonna give me if I do.”
Former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt, who is now on the Baltimore Orioles, reacted to pitching against his old team.
Following the Blue Jays‘ World Series run last season, Bassitt was not re-signed by the team and instead became a free agent. He then signed with the Orioles to a one-year, $18.5 million contract with $500,000 in incentives if Bassitt starts 27 games.
On Thursday, Bassitt pitched against the Blue Jays for the first time since he left the team he had just finished pitching with for three years. The Blue Jays won the game 2-1, despite Bassitt having a solid start, going 6 IP and allowing only 1 ER.
Following the game, Bassitt spoke to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and shared his honest thoughts about playing the Blue Jays for the first time since his exit from the squad. Here’s what he said.
“There was obviously a lot of emotion. Fortunately, I’ve been around the game long enough that I’ve changed teams and dealt with this before. I feel like the mistake I’ve made in the past is I’ve tried to make it buddy-buddy and friendly and have fun. A lot of times, that turns the competition meter off. So yesterday, I didn’t look at anybody. I saw the video of George [Springer] sticking his tongue out at me. I didn’t see that. Didn’t look at any of the coaches. They know how much I love them. When I step on the field, I can’t be friends with you. There’s a competition aspect of it all. And if I look at them as a person, my love for them will trump the competition side. So, I was just like trying to block out all the emotion,” Bassitt said.
“When I signed there three years ago, I didn’t expect to have the relationship I had with all those people. I didn’t expect to have some of my best friends in the world on that team. I didn’t expect to make the runs that we did. I’m just forever grateful for my time there.”
Chris Bassitt says he went into Thursday’s start vs. the Blue Jays trying maintain tunnel vision and ignore who he was facing:
“I didn’t want to have a bad one against those guys, especially. I know how much crap talk they’re gonna give me if I do.”
Now that he’s left the Blue Jays, Bassitt is hoping to help pitch his new team, the division-rival Orioles, into the playoffs.
The Orioles enter Friday’s game against Toronto with a 26-31 record, just 2 GB from the third and final American League Wild Card spot that the 28-29 Blue Jays currently hold. The AL Wild Card hunt has been historically mediocre this season, as the Jays aren’t even .500 at the moment, yet hold a Wild Card spot. So the Orioles are still very much in the playoff mix despite their disappointing start to the season.
So far this season, Bassitt is 4-3 with a 5.06 ERA in 11 games. The Orioles likely expected better numbers when they signed him this offseason, but it’s still relatively early in the year, so the 37-year-old American can easily turn things around and get his ERA back into the 4s by the time it’s over. But as long as the Orioles make the playoffs, that’s the only thing that matters, as Bassitt continues to chase his first World Series ring in his 12th MLB season.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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