Chris Bassitt’s early PitchCom drama has Mets fans in panic (Video)

Austin Nola of the San Diego Padres gave his team an early Game 3 advantage over the New York Mets in a winner-take-all Wild Card matchup.

Chris Bassitt got the start, with the pressure of following up Jacob deGrom’s dominant outing earlier in the week.

While Bassitt got through the first inning in just seven pitches, he wasn’t as lucky in the second. The Padres loaded the bases before Nola hit a seeing-eye single, thus giving San Diego an early advantage. Bring on all the chaos.

Understandably, Mets fans were hyped before opening pitch. They had to be, not just to support their team but their city. It’s been a tough few weeks at Citi Field. This won’t help matters.

Normally, a base hit wouldn’t be huge news, but it came shortly after Bassitt was struggling to hear his PitchCom.

What is PitchCom?

To put it simply, “PitchCom is a wireless communication system used in baseball to allow the catcher to request pitches without using visible signals.” It was implemented in the minor league initially, but has made its way to the majors and gained popularity among young players and veterans alike. Per a 2018 article by Catherine Garcia, “…all 30 MLB teams have used PitchCom, and many teams have incorporated its use into every game. It’s been praised by future Hall-of-Fame and Cy Young-caliber pitchers such as, Zack Grienke, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, which seem like quite high watermarks.”

Obviously, any issue with the communication between pitcher and catcher could have monumental impact on the game itself.

Did Mets, Chris Bassitt PitchCom issues lead to early deficit?

This is tough to know. PitchCom is meant to combat sign stealing, which is most prevalent when pitchers are throwing from the stretch with runners on base. Nola’s base hit, which came on an outside pitch, occurred with the bases loaded. So, it’s not out of the question.