CLEVELAND — Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chris Bassitt made another homecoming of sorts Friday, April 17, at Progressive Field when he faced the Guardians.
Bassitt — a University of Akron pitcher from 2009-2011 — didn’t factor in the decision, but he helped the Orioles defeat the Guardians 6-4.
The right-handed Bassitt allowed baserunners in all five innings he pitched, but did not allow the Guardians to score.
Was Bassitt dealing like Guardians right-hander Parker Messick was for eight no-hit innings the previous night against the Orioles?
No, but it was Bassitt’s best start this season as he allowed four hits and four walks with two strikeouts in his five scoreless innings.
“He got into some jams and pitch count was getting high early,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “He did a great job of settling in and mixing his pitches like we talked about before the game started. He has to mix his pitches at all counts and be unpredictable, and that’s what he did.”
Bassitt, a native of Curtice, Ohio, about 35 minutes east of Toledo, is in his first season with the Orioles after helping the Toronto Blue Jays win the American League pennant and reach the World Series in 2025.
He entered Friday 0-2 this season with a 9.00 ERA in three starts that totaled 11 innings.
Bassitt immediately faced a challenge and worked himself out of it, pitching out of a bases-loaded situation in the first inning. He walked Chase DeLauter and José Ramírez before Kyle Manzardo hit a single to left to load the bases. Bassitt bounced back and got Rhys Hoskins to pop out to third and Daniel Schneemann grounded out to second to end the inning.
“I didn’t feel too good in the first or second, but [Orioles catcher] Sammy [Basallo] made a lot of really good calls, and we were able to navigate through it but, yeah, overall, I am good,” Bassitt said.
“Obviously, exciting that we came back and won. More so, I would say the credit of kind of our standard here, what we’re expecting. You have to get 27 outs. Defensively, we have to get 27 outs and then, offensively, you got to get 27 outs against us. I really think the team should be really proud of how we kind of handled the last two games, just in the aspect of not really giving up and rolling over so to speak. So, yeah, really happy with how they’re handling it.”
The Orioles rallied late Friday from a 4-0 deficit. Schneemann hit a grand slam off Orioles reliever Anthony Nunez over the right-field fence in the seventh inning for all four Cleveland runs.
The Orioles bounced back with six runs in the eighth off Guardians relievers Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski and Connor Brogdon. Weston Wilson hit a two-run double to left off Sabrowski and Jeremiah Jackson smacked a go-ahead three-run home run to left off Brogdon.
Chris Bassitt’s stats 10 seasons into MLB career
Bassitt, 37, made his 236th big league appearance (222nd start) Friday. He entered the game with an 83-67 career record, a 3.68 ERA, 1,196 strikeouts and 416 walks over 1,289⅔ innings.
“He’s a competitor,” Jackson said of Bassitt. “He’s out there, he’s in meetings, he’s a competitor. He wants to win. He wants to play well. I’m happy that he had a good outing. He’s throwing well, it’s just about making plays behind him and giving him that run support. Obviously, we didn’t score until he came out but, yeah, as far as how he did, we’re happy for him and excited to see him get back out there.”
Bassitt agreed to a one-year deal with the Orioles worth $18.5 million on Feb. 13, per MLB.com. The contract came after he earned $63 million over three years with the Blue Jays.
“Bassitt is a total veteran, a total pro, battle tested,” Albernaz said. “The thing with Chris is he’s going to get 10 years this year in the big leagues, which is an awesome accomplishment. He’s always trying to get better. He’s never satisfied, and that’s how you get to play 10 years in big leagues, where you’re always making adjustments, you’re always trying to get better.
“With Chris, it is the same way, and I’m sure he’ll beat up this outing and have more stuff to work on for his eyes, but that’s the beauty of baseball where all of us, staff, players, we’re all trying to get better. You look at the end of the year, we’re a better version of ourselves, and Chris is the epitome of that.”
The Chicago White Sox drafted Bassitt in the 16th round on June 7, 2011. He made his MLB debut with the White Sox on Aug. 30, 2014, and was traded to the Oakland Athletics four months later. He pitched in parts of six seasons with the A’s before being dealt to the New York Mets on March 12, 2022.
Bassitt, a 2007 Genoa Area High School graduate, was selected as an American League All-Star in 2021 while pitching for the A’s. He finished in the top 10 for the AL Cy Young Award in 2020 and 2021 with the A’s and in 2023 with the Blue Jays.
“I had like 25 people here I’d say,” Bassitt said. “I always love coming back to Ohio. I grew up a Cleveland [sports] fan, so it’s definitely good to win in this ballpark. Whenever you can pitch close to home, it’s awesome.”
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Former Akron Zip Chris Bassitt keeps showing he’s a competitor for O’s
Reporting by Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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