‘Hittable + not special’: Bassitt’s gag shows how close rotation is

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ rotation doesn’t need its own marketing department. They have one another.

Early in Sunday’s 8-2 win over the Angels, which completed an impressive four-game sweep at Rogers Centre, Bowden Francis joined the broadcast to talk about his near-no-hitter from the night before. Francis looked as cool and relaxed as only he can in a pair of sunglasses -- his necklaces spilling out of his shirt -- when midway through the conversation, Chris Bassitt appeared behind him, holding up a handmade sign:

“15 innings. 2 hits. 20 Ks. Hittable + not special,” the sign read. Message sent.

It’s a jab, complete with Francis’ stat line from his last two starts, at Taylor Ward, who broke up the no-hitter Saturday with a solo home run in the ninth inning. After the incredible performance from Francis, which fell just short of being only the second no-hitter in franchise history, Ward didn’t exactly tip his cap.

“I thought that everything was hittable,” Ward said after the game. “Maybe to other guys he made better pitches. A lot of guys were talking about his split and that being on. But personally, I didn’t think it was anything special.”

It’s a small moment, but it captures the dynamic of this rotation so well.

Some rotations are tied together by nothing more than a job title, a collection of five people who just so happen to be starting pitchers. Some rotations grow closer and push one another, which is easier when most of the starters involved have already signed their big contracts, but the Blue Jays’ rotation takes such a unique sense of pride in one another. It’s something Bassitt in particular has spoken openly about as a strength going back to the early days of Spring Training.

“We genuinely care for each other. We genuinely are super happy that someone has success,” Bassitt said back in February. “We’re very close on and off the field. We hang out all the time. We genuinely care for each other. I wouldn’t say that’s normal. There’s a lot of people with really good teams, but behind the scenes there’s a lot of animosity about not being the No. 1, not being the No. 2. If I’m the No. 5 this year, I couldn’t care less.”

That same day, with reporters huddled around Bassitt as the rain poured down in Dunedin, Fla., Bassitt heaped praise upon Francis. It felt surprising at the time, but it wasn’t the only time Bassitt pushed that idea over those six weeks of camp. He and the Blue Jays’ veterans have believed in Francis all along, and starters don’t typically throw empty praise around.

“As crazy as it is, if Ricky [Tiedemann] or Francis need to start for us this year and they become our No. 1, I don’t think anyone would be shocked,” Bassitt said that day. “As crazy as that is, that’s how good of stuff they have and how mature they are.”

That’s why there’s nothing surprising about Bassitt standing behind Francis, holding up a sign he’d scribbled together with a pen on a piece of white paper.

There’s no feel-good story that will wipe away the disappointment of this season, but if the Blue Jays want 2025 to be any different, the rotation needs to be at the forefront. Even with Francis’ recent surge and the potential of Yariel Rodríguez, the Blue Jays will need to add a depth starter or two. Those pitchers, and the prospects who eventually push them, will be stepping into a culture that’s been built organically and by the pitchers themselves, which is the only way it ever works.

Gausman, who threw seven innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts on Sunday to seal the sweep, called Francis’ performance “special,” and said that he was just following his lead. This is what they’ve believed in all along.

“Chris and Kevin, especially, have taken Bowden under their wing,” manager John Schneider said. “I love it when guys have each other’s back. Bowden’s results against Anaheim speak for themselves.”

They should speak for themselves, at least. Francis isn’t a “name” across the league yet, but if he keeps pitching like this and grabs a rotation spot in 2025, that will soon change. If it doesn’t, Bassitt and his passion for graphic design will be there to fire up the marketing campaign.