Brady Basso did everything one could hope for from a rookie and more for the Oakland Athletics tonight.
In his first ever major league start, the southpaw delivered six shutout innings of three-hit ball. It only took him 85 pitches to get to the end of his outing and strike out six Detroit Tigers along the way. Commanding his arsenal with impressive poise, Basso didn’t look much like a rookie today. He established his soft but consistent 93 mph fastball early and was able to constantly keep his opposition off-balance with his slider and curveball. Leaving the ballgame with a shutout intact, the 26-year-old, in spite of the growing stable of options, made a strong case that he should be among the top candidates for a rotation spot next season.