BLUE JAYS RIGHT-HANDER CHRIS BASSITT NOTCHES HIS 1000TH CAREER STRIKEOUT AT FENWAY PARK
It was a special night for Chris Bassitt, as the right-hander was taking the mound for the 196th time in his career and was just three strikeouts away from collecting his 1000th punchout since breaking into the big leagues back in 2014.
After a tumultuous first inning, where he logged one strikeout, Bassitt bounced back in the second inning to sit down Romy González to put him just one punchout away from the historic mark.
The feat came in short order, as Bassitt was able to get Ceddane Rafaela out on three pitches – with a sweeper down and away getting the Red Sox infielder to swing over the top to reach the milestone mark.
Chris Bassitt notches 1000th career strikeout at Fenway Park
A 16th-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2011, Bassitt made his big league debut with Chicago three years later, making six appearances (five starts). He would be traded to the Oakland A’s the following offseason and rode the options bus for most of 2015 – making 13 starts.
His 2016 season would be short-lived after undergoing Tommy John surgery early into the campaign and he would not pitch in the big leagues for all of 2017.
Bassitt’s 2018 season would be the start of his dominant stretch on the mound, with the right-hander posting a 3.02 ERA through 11 appearances (seven starts) and would roll that into a 3.81 ERA the following campaign, where he struck out 141 batters through 144 innings on the mound.
He stayed with the A’s through the 2021 season before being dealt to the New York Mets in the offseason, where he posted a 3.42 ERA through 30 starts in Queens, before joining the Toronto Blue Jays on a three-year pact during the 2022/2023 offseason.
Since joining Toronto (before tonight’s game), Bassitt has authored a 3.94 ERA through 59 starts with an 8.5 K/9 and a 3.0 BB/9 through 345 innings – eclipsing the 200 IP mark last season. For his career, Bassitt owns a 3.61 ERA and a 3.93 FIP through 1082 1/3 innings across ten seasons.
After collecting his 1000th K, Bassitt moves into a tie for 559th in all-time strikeouts leaders.
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2024-08-29T00:17:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd