Chris Bassitt Reflects on Bond with Blue Jays Before Orioles Debut When George Springer opened Thursday’s game by stepping into the batter’s box and sticking out his tongue toward the mound, Baltimore Orioles right-hander Chris Bassitt didn’t even notice. The moment offered a potential camera-ready exchange between former teammates, but Bassitt chose to avoid eye contact with any Toronto Blue Jays players or coaches. “The mistake, at least in the past, that I’ve made is that I’ve tried to make it buddy-buddy and friendly and have fun,” Bassitt told Sportsnet on Friday. “That turns the competition metre off. So, yesterday, I didn’t look at anybody. If I look at them, my love for them will trump the competition side. I was just trying to block out all the emotions of that.” His approach clearly worked, as Bassitt delivered one of his strongest outings of the season, holding the Blue Jays to one run on four hits over six innings during an eventual Orioles loss decided by the bullpen. The Blue Jays’ visit to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for a four-game series provided Bassitt with an opportunity to reconnect with teammates he had formed strong bonds with during his three-year tenure in Toronto. “When I signed there three years ago, I didn’t expect to have the relationship I had with all those people,” Bassitt said. “Didn’t expect to have some of my best friends in the world on that team. Didn’t expect, obviously, to make the run that we did.” His former teammates echoed his sentiments, with Jeff Hoffman calling Bassitt “a huge reason why we were as close as we were last year” and Ernie Clement noting, “We definitely miss him. He was one of our main guys last year. So, it’s a noticeable difference without him.” Bassitt’s impact on the Blue Jays was significant. Last season, he posted a 3.#toronto_blue_jays #baltimore_orioles #george_springer #chris_bassitt #mark_shapiro
