Blue Jays pitcher Bassitt emotional after reaching 200-inning mark: 'It's been my only goal forever'

Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt has enjoyed plenty of success over his nine-year MLB career, but he finally crossed off a bucket-list item in Thursday's 6-0 victory over the New York Yankees.

With his 7.2 frames of shutout ball, Bassitt reached the 200-inning mark for the first time ever. The 34-year-old left the field to a standing ovation, as manager John Schneider pushed him to 106 pitches to give him a shot at the feat in his final start of the regular season.

Bassitt was sentimental when speaking to reporters after the game, saying how much the milestone means to him.

"Throw 160, I've done it. Throw 180, I've done it. But to get to 200 innings you have to have so many people who trust you," Bassitt said through a cracking voice, according to Yahoo Sports Canada's Ethan Diamandas. "You have to have so much work behind the scenes that people don't see. It's been my only goal forever.

"So to get it, to have this organization believe in me like they do, it means the world to me... I’m going to try not to get emotional tonight, but I think it’s the benchmark for the elite pitchers."

His dominant 12-strikeout performance allowed the Blue Jays to move a game closer to locking up a playoff spot. Their "magic number" now sits at two and can drop to one if the Seattle Mariners lose to the Texas Rangers later on Thursday.

A starting pitcher logging 200 innings has become exceedingly rare in today's game, as hurlers don't pitch as deep into games as they used to. Bassitt is one of just four players to cross the threshold this season.

The Ohio native finished his first season with the Blue Jays with a 16-8 record and a 3.60 ERA. He went at least six innings in 23 of his 33 starts after signing a three-year, $63-million deal last offseason. His successful campaign has allowed him to put the sour memories of how last year ended behind him.

Pitching for the New York Mets, his 2022 season concluded in the National League Wild Card Series. He surrendered three runs over four innings in a do-or-die Game 3, as the Mets were eliminated by the San Diego Padres.

"There's been a pain that I've held for well over a year just because of how last year ended for me," Bassitt said. "And I just promised myself that I'm gonna give the best chance I got to the team that signs me."

Bassitt's redemption tour will likely have an opportunity to continue in this year's postseason, as his next appearance would figure to come in a potential AL wild-card series.