OAKLAND — Coming into the season, Chris Bassitt had never been known as a strikeout pitcher. The 30-year-old right-hander notched a career-high 64 punchouts in 2015 in 86 innings, for a pedestrian rate of 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Bassitt achieved his best strikeout percentage last season when he struck out 41 batters in 47 2/3 innings, still only translating to 7.7 per nine frames. This year, he's taken it to another level.
Bassitt punched out nine Cincinnati Reds on Thursday in 7 2/3 innings, taking a tough-luck loss in Oakland's 3-0 defeat at the Coliseum.