A’s Ace Chris Bassitt “Conscious & Aware” After Being Struck In Face By Liner
Aug 18, 2021, 8:59 AM | Updated: 9:03 am
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The right-hander will need surgery to repair a facial fracture, but reports indicate there is no damage to Bassitt’s eye or vision
Baseball is a scary sport sometimes.
Oakland A’s ace Chris Bassitt was involved in one of the scariest plays in sports on Tuesday night after taking a line drive to the face off of the bat of Chicago White Sox outfielder Brian Goodwin.
The batted ball reached a velocity of 100.1 miles per hour before making direct contact with Bassitt’s face, sending all that were watching into a state of uneasiness as the 32-year-old crumpled to the ground and held his face.
While the occurrence was frightening to all that witnessed, the fact that Bassitt was conscious and moving was an immediate good sign.
Bassitt was taken to a nearby hospital where it was reported shortly after that he was “conscious and aware.”
“Bass is conscious. He was the entire time. We don’t think the eye is a problem at this point. It felt like it was below it. He’s got some cuts, they had to do some stitches. He’s in a scan and we’ll know more about potential fractures or whatever tomorrow,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said postgame on Tuesday.
Early on Wednesday morning, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the 2021 All-Star has suffered facial fractures that will require surgery, but that the great news was no damage was caused to his eye. Bassitt was released from the hospital on Wednesday morning, but will remain in Chicago for the next week or two while he recovers.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that all other scans came back clean and that Bassitt’s vision remains to be 20-20. Surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone will take place three-to-five days after the swelling subsides, per Heyman.
Bassitt’s agency, Meister Sports, released the following statement on Wednesday:
Over 25 starts this season, Bassitt has posted a 12-4 record to go along with a 3.22 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 154 strikeouts in 151 innings pitched.
Oakland has hit a skid over the past week, having lost four of their last five games to lose ground in the race for a postseason spot. While the A’s have been struggling, the surging New York Yankees have won five-straight games and put themselves right into the race for the two American League Wild Card spots alongside Oakland and the Boston Red Sox.
While it is currently unknown if Bassitt will pitch again this season, the A’s will sorely miss the contributions from their ace over the next few weeks.
New York will be in Oakland for a four-game series next Thursday through Sunday (August 26-29) at the Coliseum.
