Chris Bassitt saves the Blue Jays’ bullpen

Chris Bassitt is the guy who, with every pitch, looks like he's at the end of his rope on the mound. He's also the guy who can throw his teammates under the bus when things aren't going his way.

But during the 2025 playoffs, he's the guy who saved the Toronto Blue Jays' poor relief bullpen.

Just yesterday, after increased use of their relievers in the 18 innings of Game Three of the World Series, the Blue Jays needed someone to take over after a strong start by Shane Bieber. And Bassitt answered the call, the 36-year-old blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh and eighth innings of Game Four.

It was the first time Bassitt had pitched two days in a row since he was 23 and playing strong A's for the Winston-Salem Dash.

The outing was his fifth appearance at the fall dance, and he has yet to allow a run to either the mighty Dodgers or Seattle Mariners in six and two-thirds innings of work.

https://twitter.com/UnderdogMLB/status/1983367029882290674

In fact, Bassitt was so dominant in relief that only two of the 21 batters he faced ended up reaching the paths, and only three of those 21 duels ended in a three-ball count.

What's more, eight of the eleven balls that landed in play had exit velocities of 83 miles per hour or less. That's a long way from solid contact.

After an ordinary 2025 campaign, Bassitt has slowly worked his way into manager John Schneider's circle of trust in these playoffs, and that will continue to be the case for the potential next three games.

This content was created with the help of AI.