Mets RHP Chris Bassitt Rips MLB For 'Bad' Baseballs Leading To Hit By Pitches
Through 19 games this season, Mets batters have been hit by pitches nearly once a game. Three more Mets were hit during New York's 3-0 victory over the Cardinals Tuesday night, bringing the team's total to a league-leading 18.
Mets RHP Chris Bassitt had a front row seat to watch and sounded off on MLB for not addressing the issue. Bassitt, who hurled six shutout innings Tuesday, blamed the rise in HBPs on the baseballs, which he said are "all different."
"It's extremely annoying to see your teammates constantly get hit, and if you get hit by certain pitches it is what it is, but to get hit in the head the amount that we're getting hit is unbelievable," Bassitt said, via ESPN. "I had some close calls tonight, and I've been hit in the face and I don't want to do that to anybody ever, but MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs. They're bad. Everyone in the league knows it. Every pitcher knows it. They're bad.
"They don't care. MLB doesn't give a damn about it. They don't care. We've told them our problems with them, and they don't care."
Cardinals RHP Jordan Hicks started it off after he plunked first baseman Dominic Smith in the second. Tensions then flared and both benches cleared after RHP Kodi Whitley drilled designated hitter Pete Alonso in the head with an 83 mph changeup. It's already the second time this season that Alonso has taken one off the dome. Right fielder Starling Marte was the final Met to be hit when RHP Aaron Brooks drew in a very painful earned run in the ninth inning with the bases loaded.
Mets manager Buck Showalter said after the game that Alonso passed his concussion tests and is in the lineup for the afternoon tilt on Wednesday.
"It's one thing to get hit in the toe or knee, but we're getting a lot of balls in the head and the neck, and it's just not good. Not good," Showalter said. "You care about your players, and without getting into right and wrong and what have you, you reach a point where it's about safety of your players. We're lucky. You're talking about a pitch that broke his helmet. It's not good, I'm not happy."
Follow Nick Geddes on Twitter @NickGeddesNews and on Instagram @nick.geddes.