Chris Bassitt unable to get redemption in Game 3
Chris Bassitt on the mound in the second inning of Wild Card Series Game 3 against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on October 9, 2022. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Chris Bassitt wanted redemption from his disastrous Atlanta start so badly that he could taste it.
Bassitt wasn’t terrible against the Padres on Sunday night in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series at Citi Field. But he wasn’t good.
He was the losing pitcher after allowing three runs in four innings in the Mets’ season-ending 6-0 defeat.
In the big Atlanta series in late September/early October that basically cost the Mets the NL East title and forced them to play in the Wild Card Series, Bassitt gave up four runs in 2 2⁄3 innings in the finale.
“It’s tough,” he said after the game. “We talked very, very quickly, but just the group that we had, how close we were, to fall short, it’s tough.”
The Mets lost all three games in Atlanta as their Big Three of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Bassitt collectively came up small.
With a chance to turn that around against San Diego, only deGrom pitched well. He gave up two runs in six innings Saturday in the Mets’ 7-3 Game 2 victory.
It’s fair to say the Mets went 1-5 in three playoff-like games in Atlanta and the three actual playoff games against San Diego. And that told the final tale of their 101-win season.
In those five defeats, deGrom, Scherzer and Bassitt went 0-5 and threw 23 innings. They allowed 21 runs and 10 home runs.
It wasn’t the long ball that hurt Bassitt on Sunday night.
After a 1-2-3, seven-pitch first inning, he gave up a single to Josh Bell to open the second.
Bassitt quickly retired the next two batters before getting ahead of Ha-Seong Kim 1-and-2. But Bassitt walked Kim after a frustrating sequence in which he had issues getting together with catcher Tomas Nido because the PitchCom device in his hat wasn’t working.
Bassitt then walked Trent Grisham to load the bases before surrendering a two-run single by No. 9 hitter Austin Nola past a diving Francisco Lindor as the Padres took a 2-0 lead.
Bassitt worked a 1-2-3 third, but the Mets were getting nowhere with San Diego starter Joe Musgrove. They didn’t get their first baserunner until Pete Alonso led off the fifth with a single.
By then, the Padres had chased Bassitt and had a 4-0 lead.
He has a mutual $19 million contract option for 2023. If either party declines it, the 33-year-old will be a free agent.
“This group’s very special to me,” Bassitt said Saturday. “I like it a lot. But I’m not focused even one bit on free agency. I’ll deal with that when we’re done. Hopefully we’re not done for a while.”
They’re done.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
