OAKLAND — There was some good-natured nonsense going on as Chris Bassitt was pitching the game of his life against the Los Angeles Angels, but in the end there were tears.
Bassitt, attempting to explain his first career shutout and complete game Thursday night in a 5-0 win for the Athletics, was overcome with emotion as he thought back to struggles earlier in his career that were suddenly in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m not trying to be weird, but I’m trying to hold back tears right now,” Bassitt said in a postgame video conference. “There are so many people that have stuck by my side through so much crap. Honestly, I’m grateful.”
Rarely in trouble and dominant throughout, Bassitt gave up an infield single to Juan Lagares in the second inning and a one-out double to Justin Upton in the ninth. He walked one and struck out nine and threw 114 pitches (70 of them strikes), exactly one fewer than manager Bob Melvin had determined would be his limit.
Locked in a scoreless duel through five innings with Angels emergency starter Patrick Sandoval at the Coliseum, the Athletics broke through for five runs in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles bullpen to reward Bassitt.
Before a crowd of 5,487, the Athletics improved to 30-22, a game and a half over the idle Houston Astros in the American League West. The Angels, who found out about 90 minutes before game time that a late arriving Shohei Ohtani would be scratched as the starting pitcher, fell to 22-28.
Ohtani, who served as the designated hitter (and didn’t get a hit), will pitch Friday night against Sean Manaea.
During the game, the Athletics broke out a Trident, which Bassitt said Manaea purchased on Amazon, as their latest clubhouse motivational tool.
“It’s like a team award, player of the game, and we kind of kept that in the locker room,” Bassitt said. “We have a lot of weird stuff we do after a game. I guess (Sean) said it was time to bust it out for the world to see.”
Bassitt hasn’t thrown fewer than five innings in any start and has been lights out in three of the last four, including seven innings and two earned runs in Boston and 7 2/3 and two earned runs in Anaheim against the Angels.
He took it to an entirely different level Thursday night.
“It was everything. A perfect storm,” Bassitt said. “Sinker was down better than probbly in my whole career. Every pitch I had. It was a lot of fun.”
Lest there be any doubt, Bassitt, who was the Athletics opening day starter, is the unquestioned leader of the staff.
“He’s using all his pitches, he’s getting ahead in counts, there’s not a lot of hard contact off of him, he’s using all his stuff, he’s unpredictable,” Melvin said. “He’s pitching with a lot of confidence right now. this is probably the best stretch of his career.”
Bassitt, 32, arrived in 2014 along with Marcus Semien in a trade that sent Jeff Samardzija to the Chicago White Sox. He had a 2-11 career record before missing the 2017 season after Tommy John surgery. With an unorthdox delivery that’s all elbows and knees, mechanics often eluded Bassitt although he was hard to hit.
The organization has brought out the best in Bassitt, who is 20-9 since 2019 and now at the top of his game. The erratic spells have dissapated, and from the fifth through the seventh innings against the Angels Bassitt recorded nine outs on just 26 pitches.
“My confidence in all my pitches is growing, how to attack hitters, adding pitches,” Bassitt said. “We’ve grinded so much with (pitching coach Scott Emerson) over the yers it’s all kind of coming to a head. Staying healthy, that’s the big thing.”
Bassitt is throwing not only quality strikes, but quality balls.
“The balls I was throwing were quality balls,” Bassitt said. “Sinker down, right below the zone. Change is down, right below the zone. I knew I could start expanding. It was honestly more so my misses than my actual strikes.”
Catcher Sean Murphy said Bassitt has the aura of an ace.
“He always knows he’s the best pitcher out there every time he steps on the mound,” Murphy said. “That goes a long way.”
BREAKING LOOSE
Once Sandoval left after five shutout innings, the A’s jumped on the Angels bullpen, starting with losing pitcher Aaron Slegers (2-2), who struck out Ramon Laureano and then gave up an opposite field double to Matt Olson.
After Jed Lowrie walked, Chapman grounded to deep short. Shortstop Scott Fletcher, seeing he had no chance to throw out Chapman, attempted to get Olson at third base and threw the ball away, with the first run of the game scoring and leaving runners at second and third.
Murphy then lofted a bloop to center field that fell in for a single, bringing in Lowrie and Chapman for a 3-0 lead. Chapman, reading the ball correctly from the outset, nearly ran up Lowrie’s back on the play.
A ground single to right by Elvis Andrus drove in the fourth run, and Tony Kemp’s pinch sacrifice fly capped the inning, giving Bassitt a five-run cushion.
CANHA STAYS HOT
Canha continued to excel from the leadoff spot, reaching base in all five plate appearances with three singles and two walks. He’s hit in a 13 of the last 15 games, and during that span has five home runs, four doubles, one triple, six RBIs and 10 walks.
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A’s break through in sixth inning to reward Chris Bassitt in shutout of Angels - Vacaville Reporter
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