Chris Bassitt delivered an impressive performance tonight, lasting 6.2 innings on the mound. Despite surpassing the 100-pitch mark, he continued to showcase his skill, recording eight strikeouts while allowing five hits and four walks. Surprisingly, he remained in the game for the start of the 7th inning, where he quickly secured two outs before conceding a home run to Dominic Canzone. Although it seemed likely he would be substituted out after that, the manager, John, opted to keep him in, hoping he could finish the inning. However, Bassitt surrendered a single, prompting John to finally pull him from the game after reaching 115 pitches.
It’s worth noting that Bassitt didn’t reach 115 pitches in any start last year, and it’s uncommon to see such high pitch counts in today’s baseball landscape. Trevor Richards took over for Bassitt in the seventh and initially performed well but later allowed two runs in the eighth, including a home run by Mitch Haniger.
Offensively, our team managed to accumulate 11 hits and 2 walks. Isiah Kiner-Falefa stood out with 3 hits, while George Springer, Justin Turner, and Cavan Biggio each contributed 2 hits. Daulton Varsho and Bo Bichette added 1 hit each, with Bichette’s being a home run that boosted his average over .200.
Unfortunately, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Davis Schneider, and Alejandro Kirk were unable to get on base with any hits, although Kirk did draw a walk and Schneider was hit by a pitch, as was Ernie Clement.
The Jays scored three runs in the third inning, with Varsho and Springer delivering key hits. In the fourth inning, Biggio’s single and stolen base set up Kiner-Falefa to drive in a run, followed by another RBI single from Springer.
Defensively, Biggio made notable plays with his glove throughout the game.
Standout players for the Jays included Bassitt, Bichette, Springer, and Green. No one received the “Other Award,” with Kirk having the lowest performance rating.
Looking ahead, tomorrow’s game is a day matchup scheduled for a 3:00 Eastern start, featuring Yusei Kikuchi against Logan Gibert.