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Chris Bassitt didn’t remember much about the last time he had pitched in a game. But Thursday, the A’s ace made a remarkable — and dominating — return to the mound.
Barely five weeks after he was struck in the face by a line drive during his start against the Chicago White Sox, Bassitt took the mound against the Seattle Mariners and pitched three shutout innings.
Bassitt, who required facial surgery in the days following the Aug. 17 incident, threw 48 pitches. He struck out four, walked one and allowed just one hit — to Mariners leadoff man J.P. Crawford on his second pitch of the outing.
It was an emotional day to see the 32-year-old Bassitt back on the field. The last time Bassitt appeared in a game, a 100 mph line drive by Brian Goodwin exploded off Bassitt’s face, leaving the A’s right-hander in a crumpled heap on the mound in a road game against the Chicago White Sox. There were bloody towels, distraught teammates, and the last thing anyone was thinking about was Bassitt pitching again in 2021.
Bassitt required surgery, and as far-fetched as it sounded, was determined to get back on the field. This season. He was true to his word on Thursday in the crucial fourth game of the A’s series against the Mariners, who the A’s are chasing (along with the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays) for a wild-card spot in the playoffs. A’s manager Bob Melvin gave Bassitt the word Tuesday that the decks had been cleared for his return.
Bassitt on Tuesday addressed his return, including the possibility that he could be injured again.
“I know I’m kind of a messed up thinker, a messed up individual a little bit, but I knew I wasn’t going to be worried about facing hitters,” Bassitt said. “If it happens again, it happens again. I don’t think about it too much, honestly. It’s part of the game. Unfortunately, something happened to me, but it is what it is.”
Thursday, there were no close calls for Bassitt. In fact, it was as if he had never been gone. In the three starts leading up to his fateful appearance in Chicago, Bassitt went 2-0 (the A’s won all three games) and allowed one earned run and struck out 21 in 20 innings.
But Thursday was a big deal.
Bassitt underwent surgery Aug. 25 in Chicago for a facial fracture, which did not include the orbital bone in his left eye. It’s been a series of doctors visits and examinations ever since.
“I’ve been kind of ready,” Bassitt said. “Unfortunately, there were a lot of boxes that needed to be checked, and we finally checked them all off.”
Click here to read the whole story by Jerry McDonald.
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