‘They don’t care’: Mets’ Bassitt rips MLB after three teammates hit by pitches
New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt says MLB is taking players’ safety for granted after three of his teammates were hit by pitches during their 3-0 victory over the St Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.
Cardinals starter Jordan Hicks hit Dominic Smith in the second and Pete Alonso was hit in the helmet by Kodi Whitley in the eighth inning, after which benches and bullpens started to clear. Both benches were warned, and tensions quickly fizzled out. Then Starling Marte was plunked by Aaron Brooks with the bases loaded in the ninth, leading to the final run.
Some believe MLB’s ban on “foreign substances” has made baseballs harder to grip, leading to pitchers losing control of their throws. But Bassitt blames the baseballs themselves, which he says are “all different” this season.
“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. “I had some close calls tonight, and I’ve been hit in the face [by a line drive] 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.”
Alonso was struck on the helmet for the second time in a month and passed concussion tests but will miss Wednesday’s game, the third of the Mets’ road series against the Cardinals.
Mets manager Buck Showalter agreed with his pitcher. “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.”