Chris Bassitt seems to think MLB is cheap — and that’s at least partly why Pete Alonso’s non-home run against the Yankees on Wednesday night turned into a controversy.
Alonso, the former Mets star, ripped a fly ball down the left field line in the bottom of the seventh with the game tied. The call on the field was a foul ball and that was upheld after a video review.
The first baseman ended up striking out, and the Yankees scratched out two runs in the eighth to take a 5-3 win, pushing the Orioles down to 1 1/2 games behind the Twins for the final AL wild-card spot.
“Yeah, obviously, I think it was fair,” Bassitt, also a former Met and a member of the MLBPA executive subcommittee, said after the game, per the Baltimore Sun. “It’s just crazy that we still have this issue. I think we might be the only major sport with an issue like this. It’s been years that we have technology that can easily use to say this is exactly the right thing or wrong thing, and the fact that we don’t have it in 2026 is crazy. That’s my take. It’s not so much that they got the right call or the wrong call or whatever. I think if you’re going to ask the general public and get a 50/50 answer or something like that.
“But it’s just the fact that we don’t have the technology in place to actually say, ‘Hey, this was fair or foul,’ is literally crazy in 2026. It’s crazy.”
Bassitt believes MLB’s lack of technology to make clear determinations on home run calls comes down to one thing.
“Because it would cost money. That’s it. I mean, that’s literally it,” Bassitt said. “You ask every fan of this game, that’s a true fan, every single fan would want those cameras. If you ask every single player, they would want those cameras. If you ask every coach, they want the cameras. It costs money. That’s it. That’s literally it.”
Bassitt gave up three runs on eights hits and a walk in 5 ⅔ innings while striking out six, taking a no-decision in the Baltimore loss.
He has a 5.08 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) this season.
Alonso did hit a home run in the third inning, his 29th of the season.
He’s slashing .267/.359/.498 with 82 RBIs after signing a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles.
