Mets Pitcher Chris Bassitt Blames “Bad Baseballs” For Uptick In Players Getting Beaned

Mets starter Chris Bassitt was one of many pitchers who hit a batter during this week’s Cardinals-Mets series in St. Louis. And by the end of it, players were getting sick and tired of it.

Specifically, the Mets were irritated all series long. On Tuesday night, three more Mets were hit-by-pitches, with slugger Pete Alonso getting hit up near the head area by a pitch that got away.

“It’s one of those things, whether it’s intentional or not, it has to stop,” Starling Marte, who was hit with the bases loaded Tuesday, told Mike Puma of the New York Post. “We’re tired of it and we’re going to have to do something about it if it continues to happen because it is uncomfortable every time you go out there to get hit.”

Chris Bassitt also hit a player on Tuesday night. But he wasn’t pointing fingers to the other team. Instead, Bassitt said it’s a change in the actual baseball that’s causing pitchers to lose control.

“The MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs — they are bad,” Bassitt said after his team’s 3-0 victory over the Cardinals. “Everyone knows it. Every pitcher in the league knows it. MLB doesn’t give a damn about it. They don’t care. We have told them our problems with them, they don’t care.”

Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt shares his thoughts about why so many players are getting hit in the head

“MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs. They're bad. Everyone knows it. They don't care.”
pic.twitter.com/Nfm8Nu1WF5

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 27, 2022

Despite Chris Bassitt blaming the league for batters getting hit at an unusual rate, tempers between the Mets and Cardinals carried over on Wednesday afternoon.

After a pitch ended up being uncomfortably close to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado’s head, both benches cleared.

Benches cleared in Mets-Cardinals after Yoan López threw up and in at Nolan Arenado.

The Mets had previously expressed concern with their players frequently getting hit by pitches. pic.twitter.com/IiODEjGajf

— ESPN (@espn) April 27, 2022

If Chris Bassitt is on to something about the baseballs being tough to grip, it could lead to a long season of players getting hit much more frequently than they would like.

Since the MLB was criticized for juicing the baseball to make more home runs happen, the condition of the actual ball has been a huge talking point around the league.

If Chris Bassitt is giving a prelude for things to come, then the MLB could be in serious jeopardy of creating a further divide with their players about their safety.

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