TORONTO -- Tucked behind the left-field wall at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays’ family room has enough kids to fill a few Little League rosters.
This is the home base for players’ families before, during and after games. There’s a lounge for the adults and a room for the kids, but it all tends to blend together with so many young families on the roster. This is all by design, one of the additions the organization was proudest of coming out of their recent stadium renovations.
When Toronto feels like home, players and their families start to treat it like home. Jessica Bassitt and her husband, Chris, have done this through their charitable initiative, Bassitts Pitch In, which they’re bringing back for a third year.
“This organization is the best with family,” Jessica Bassitt said. “We’ve been with Oakland and with the Mets. Each was special in their own ways, but the Blue Jays have gone above and beyond. In fact, we’re at the point now where most people will call us in the offseason if they’re talking to the Blue Jays. They’ll ask -- especially the girls -- what the family situation is like.”
Through the initiative, the Bassitts will donate $10,000 (USD) to Jays Care for each game the Blue Jays win when Chris pitches this season. Over the first two seasons, the initiative has raised $438,852 (CAD) for RBI Summer Edition, a free sport-for-development program designed as a complement to summer school to enhance the mental and physical health of kids in under-resourced communities across Toronto. A total of $414,202 CAD came directly from the Bassitts while the additional funds were raised through donations by Blue Jays fans.
This season, more than 2,300 students at 13 schools across the Greater Toronto Area are participating in the program.
“They’re surrounded by staff who are good influences,” Jessica Bassitt said. “For me, I would want my kids to go somewhere like that, especially in the summer. When you’re in school, you know the teachers are keeping them straight, but in summer when the schools are out, parents start to fumble and they say, ‘How do we know what our kid is doing?’ The fact they can have that impact on the kids with this program is great.”
Signing a three-year deal with the Blue Jays gave the Bassitts some stability, knowing they could set down roots and begin to grow something in Toronto. They’d learned from what some of Chris’ teammates and their families had done at past stops in his career, particularly with the A’s, but saw this as their opening to get more involved.
“We love that the city seems to embrace the team so much. Chris has just really fit in with everyone,” Jessica said. “He loves the coaching staff, loves the organization and he loves his teammates. They say, 'Happy wife, happy life,' but, 'Happy husband, happy wife.'”
This year, Bassitts Pitch In will have a few new features and ways for fans to get involved:
April 28 - May 4: There will be an auction including game-used and autographed items, including items from their personal collection.
May 5 - May 22: Chris will be the Jays Care 50/50 ambassador Homestand Jackpot with all proceeds going to Bassitts Pitch in. Fans can purchase tickets for this jackpot at bluejays.com/5050.
All May: Fans who donate $40 or more to Bassitts Pitch In will be entered to win one of two Chris Bassitt-themed prizes.
The Bassitts' experience playing in Toronto seems to capture what the Blue Jays have envisioned all along, which is a relationship that flows in both directions and benefits everyone involved, including the community around this team. Coming from Oakland and New York to finally settling in Toronto, Jessica Bassitt has seen just how important that stability is.
“It gets hard when you’re with a new team every year because you’re having to relearn names. I’m terrible with them, so it’s nice to recognize familiar faces,” she said. “Even Miss Emily, who works in the elevator here, our kids know her and she’s awesome. Our kids see that. My daughter just came in and said, ‘OK, we have to go to this level.’ They come off and they run right in here. They know the sitters, everything. For us, I told my husband that it’s going to be really hard when we’re free agents if you sign a one-year deal somewhere else, having to relearn everything.”