Pitcher Chris Bassitt was unstoppable for the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in New York as his wife gave birth to their second child.
Bassitt (6-4) came to haunt his former team, the Mets, with a masterful seven and two-thirds inning performance. He allowed just three hits and had eight strikeouts, setting the stage for a 3-0 victory for the Jays.
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After muzzling the hosts, Bassitt hopped on a private jet to join his wife in Toronto. A day at the office!
Outfielder George Springer seemed determined to make his teammate’s work day easier. He was the first batter to try his luck against Justin Verlander (2-3) and took the opportunity to hit a home run.
In Major League Baseball history, only Rickey Henderson has hit more long balls to start a game.
Springer also had some great defensive play in the seventh inning. He dived full length to prevent Pete Alonso from hitting a hit.
Daulton Varsho then allowed his men to breathe, in the ninth period, by sending an offering from Jeff Brigham into the stands in right field.
In the loss, Verlander had little to be ashamed of. The 40-year-old Gunner showed his excellent form by throwing 117 pitches in six innings of work, striking out eight batters.
The Blue Jays and Mets will return to action Saturday and Sunday.
Ohtani the gentleman
At Minute Maid Park, the spectacular Shohei Ohtani showed his sportsmanship in the Los Angeles Angels’ 6-2 loss to the Houston Astros.
The Japanese occupied the mound for the first six innings of the game and it didn’t go exactly as planned. He allowed nine hits and five earned runs, including two long drives.
In the sixth inning, Kyle Tucker came up to the plate for the Astros and softly hit the ball to first base. Ohtani (5-2) had time to recover the ball and wait for his rival to remove it. Rather than aggressively rushing Tucker, he gently motioned for him to slow down and reached for his hand to send him back to the bullpen.
This burst of courtesy did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Astros, since Corey Julks hit a long ball a few moments later.
The Angels scored their only two runs of the game in the eighth inning, thanks to singles from Brandon Drury and Taylor Ward.
Framber Valdez (6-4) added the win to his record.
