Bassitt ties Rocket for Blue Jays record in gem vs. A’s

But while his team was finally breaking out for six runs in the seventh inning, Bassitt went out to the bullpen down the right-field line to get some throwing in to stay warm.

“This place is basically my home,” said Bassitt, who pitched for the A’s from 2015-21. “It’s a little unorthodox to do it because back in Toronto, I can throw behind the scenes and no one even knows about it. I just don’t have anywhere to throw here just because of the layout. I’ve done it in the past. It looks weird. It just keeps you moving so you don’t lock up.”

Bassitt allowed seven hits and totaled seven strikeouts against no walks in eight innings, helping Toronto secure a series victory in the process. Oakland finally touched him for a run in the seventh, when Seth Brown doubled and Jordan Diaz drove him in with an RBI single.

The right-hander notched his ninth start of at least six scoreless innings, the most in the Majors this season and tied with Roger Clemens (1997) for the most such starts in a single season in franchise history.

“Amazing,” Kevin Kiermaier said of Bassitt. “He’s a horse, man. He says there’s guys who can strike 300 guys out a year and there’s guys who can eat innings and go out there and does what they’re supposed to. And that’s what he does. He gets us six, seven, eight innings every time he’s out there. He wants to go out there and let the bullpen chill and relax down there.

“I appreciate it, and I know everyone else does. He’s a veteran. He knows what his role is and what he’s trying to do, and he is excellent at his craft.”

A’s lefty Ken Waldichuk matched Bassitt for six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, but the A’s bullpen was no match for the Blue Jays in a decisive seventh.

Zach Neal came in and walked three of his four batters to start the frame. With one out and the bases loaded, Sam Long was summoned, only to be greeted by an RBI single from Kiermaier.

“I was going to take a pitch and just see how he was going to do it,” Kiermaier said. “But something … I just felt like he was going to throw me a curveball or a slider, and he did. I put a good enough swing on it just to have a little flare into left, so it worked out.

“I’ve been getting pitched a lot of offspeed this whole year and there are certain times where I definitely sit on pitches,” added Kiermaier. “You know, 0-0, a good hitter’s count, I like my chances right there, and I guessed right and it worked out for us.”

That was followed by a two-run single from George Springer and a run-scoring double from Davis Schneider.

After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was intentionally walked, Whit Merrifield hit a sacrifice fly. Long walked Alejandro Kirk to reload the bases, before walking Cavan Biggio to force in a run.

Twelve men came to the plate in all, six of them walked (one was intentional). 

Bassitt, on the other hand, had no such trouble. He allowed leadoff singles in the first two innings but induced double plays both times. Through six innings, he had allowed just three hits and had thrown 70 pitches. But the game was still scoreless.

“Bass was pumping us up, saying, ‘C’mon boys, just score a couple, that’s all we need,’” Kiermaier said. “We would have liked to do it much sooner, but that’s how baseball is sometimes. The seventh inning was our inning tonight.”

“He’s able to plus and minus a lot,” Springer said of Bassitt. “He can move his ball around. He doesn’t necessarily just throw the same pitch all of the time. He’s about as competitive as it can get, is extremely smart, he knows how to navigate a lineup. That’s a huge start.”