This Blue Jays starter has become one of the most reliable relievers this postseason

Chris Bassit is a competitor, a grinder, and a grizzled veteran with over 10 years of experience in the MLB. When the message was relayed to him that he'd be pitching out of the bullpen for the ALCS, he couldn't have been thrilled, considering his pedegree as a starter.

That being said, the workhorse has thrived as a reliever throughout the playoffs, and he's now a critical part of the backend. To say he's been everything that the Blue Jays needed thus far would be a severe understatement.

The 36 year-old came on in a relief role during the six hour and 39 minute Game 3 heartbreak for the Toronto Blue Jays. As you'd suspect, he was as dominant as he could be during his inning of work, not allowing a hit and striking out Enrique Hernández on a 73.3 mph sweeper during an eight pitch inning.

Bassitt's incredible run as a relief pitcher in the 2025 postseason has come at the hands of some increase in velocity. In Game 3, Bassitt ran up his four-seamer to 93.9 mph (his first pitch of the game), which is a significant uptick considering it usually sits at 91.5 mph.

Not only was it up more than two mph, but he's even reached 95 mph this postseason, fully reversing the aging curve.

The veteran right-hander answers the call on baseball’s biggest stage

He did it again in Game 4, and there was never a doubt. This time around, he tossed two flawless innings in an extremely meaningful spot. Bassitt barely allowed a soul to reach, allowing just one hit and striking out two in the process, and he only needed 20 pitches to finish the job.

Once again, Bassitt’s velocity skyrocketed to a level we hadn’t witnessed all season. Facing none other than Shohei Ohtani, he dialed it up to 94.7 mph twice, forcing a weak grounder that trickled off the bat at just 64.7 mph.

He capped off his showing with a 91.7 mph fastball on the upper half of the zone against Will Smith, who grounded into an inning ending double play which took things into the ninth.

In this playoff run, Bassitt has now given the Blue Jays six and two thirds innings of scoreless relief with just two base runners allowed and one hit allowed while fanning eight. That is a remarkable stat line for a guy who's barely pitched out of the bullpen in his career. Once again, Bassitt’s velocity climbed to a level we hadn’t witnessed all season.

His rise as a stud in the backend of the bullpen this postseason has been truly remarkable. Many fans would have expected him to fill a long-relief or emergency role, but instead, he’s completely rised to the occasion in the highest leveraged spots that we've seen since 1993. With the series tied at two a piece, Chris Bassitt is gonna be the X-factor of the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen this series.

He should continue to be trusted by John Schneider in some those big spots as the World Series winds down, and it seems like he'll only be able to crank it up more during those big moments. In his 11th Major League season, Bassitt has pitched on back-to-back days for the first time and the stage could not have been bigger. With the Blue Jays bullpen drained after Game 3, the veteran stepped up, embodying exactly what October baseball is all about.