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The MLB has responded to New York Mets right hander Chris Bassitt's comments, insisting they do care about their players. After three Mets batters were hit in Tuesday's meeting versus the St. Lous Cardinals, Bassitt called out the MLB.
"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."
MLB statement on the Bassitt comments
“MLB is always concerned about keeping hitters safe from dangerous pitches,” a league spokesman said in a text message, per The Post.
“We closely analyze trends in the game and have active conversations with the players and coaches to address concerns. “Through April 26, league-wide statistics show hit-by-pitch rates and wild pitch rates are down relative to previous seasons.
However, one Club [the Mets] has been hit more than twice as often as the league average in 2022, which is something we will continue to monitor”. After Tuesday, the Mets were by pitches 18 times after their first 19 games.
"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," Mets manager Buck 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."