Chris Bassitt willing to do whatever it takes for Blue Jays to win World Series

TORONTO — For three years, Chris Bassitt has been hoping for another chance at winning a World Series. Now that the opportunity has arrived, he’ll do anything to make it happen.

Bassitt, who has been a starting pitcher for most of his 11 years in Major League Baseball, will again be in the bullpen as his Toronto Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the championship. Toronto leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 into Friday’s potentially clinching game.

“I just prayed many, many, many times to get back in this moment,” said Bassitt, who said that losing in the National League’s wild-card series with the New York Mets in 2022 taught him a lot about what it takes to win in the playoffs.

“Obviously, the World Series was the biggest goal, but at the end of the day, it was just, like, give me one more chance. Whatever that means, give me one more chance, and sure as heck we got it.”

Kevin Gausman will start for Toronto in Friday’s Game 6 against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It’s a rematch of Game 2 where the two pitchers duelled each other for nearly seven innings with Yamamoto earning a complete-game win.

Designated hitter George Springer will likely return to the Blue Jays’ lineup for what could be the decisive game of the series. Springer missed Games 4 and 5 after straining his midsection swinging at a pitch in Game 3 but Toronto manager John Schneider said on Thursday that the veteran slugger was close to being ready to play again.

Bassitt, who has an 83-65 record over 11 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Mets and Toronto, has been a starter 218 times in 232 regular-season appearances. This is the 36-year-old’s first World Series, and he’s embracing being a role player.

“I’m just trying to have fun in the moment,” said Bassitt on Wednesday before the Blue Jays’ 6-1 win in Los Angeles. “I’m not trying to go crazy. I’m not trying to be World Series MVP.

“That’s (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and George and all those guys’ job to win, but overall, I’m just trying to be me. Whatever they need out of that, I’m willing to do.”

The transition to reliever has been seamless for Bassitt, who hasn’t allowed a run in five appearances this post-season, striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings.

Schneider said that he appreciates Bassitt’s willingness to move to the bullpen for the good of the team.

“You never really know with starters going into the bullpen,” said Schneider on Oct. 25. “Chris does weird really well and probably the one starter that can just go be a reliever on a given day.

“He’s turned into someone that — not that I didn’t trust him — but he’s turned himself into someone that you can just throw in wherever.”

It’s the Blue Jays first World Series appearance since 1993 when Joe Carter’s walk-off homer in Game 6 of that year’s championship helped Toronto to back-to-back titles.

Los Angeles is chasing its second consecutive championship. The last team to win back-to-back World Series was the New York Yankees, who won three in a row from 1998 to 2000.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press