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Miles Mikolas disagrees with Chris Bassitt about beaned batters

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas. Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals' Miles Mikolas disagrees with Mets' Chris Bassitt about beaned batters

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 4/27/22

After the New York Mets had three more batters hit by pitches during what became Tuesday night's 3-0 win at the St. Louis Cardinals, Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt lashed out at the fact that pitchers around MLB supposedly are having difficulties gripping baseballs this spring.

According to Cardinals insider Jeff Jones, St. Louis righty Miles Mikolas disagreed with Bassitt's opinions while speaking ahead of the Wednesday afternoon clash between the clubs:

Miles Mikolas said this morning that he hasn’t had the same experience with the baseballs this year that Chris Bassitt described last night. “It’s not the ball’s fault. Take some responsibility for your actions,” he said.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) April 27, 2022

Mikolas theorized that perhaps Bassitt, on a cold night, didn’t have enough sweat to mix with rosin. “If you’re not comfortable with a ball, don’t throw it. If you toss back ten in a row, maybe that sends a message.”
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) April 27, 2022

Mikolas also theorized that perhaps pitchers — not Bassitt, pitchers in general — were reliant on sticky stuff for so long that the art of rubbing up a baseball has gone by the wayside.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) April 27, 2022

The Mets entered Wednesday holding the league lead for batters plunked by pitches this season with 18. Slugger Pete Alonso has already been struck above the shoulder twice in less than a month:

Pete Alonso was just hit in the shoulder/helmet face guard with a 95-mph fastball. He went down hard but appears no worse for wear. The fact that the ball hit his shoulder first was a very good thing.

Regardless, Alonso is coming out of this game in the ninth. pic.twitter.com/NLcPyiE1vb
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 8, 2022

Pete Alonso is hit on the helmet and the Mets are not happy one bit. pic.twitter.com/Kh88hgCuKJ
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022

"It's extremely annoying to see your teammates constantly get hit, and if you get hit by certain pitches it is what it is, but to get hit in the head the amount that we're getting hit is unbelievable," Bassitt explained after the game, according to ESPN and The Associated Press. "I had some close calls tonight, and I've been hit in the face [by a line drive] and I don't want to do that to anybody ever, but MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs. They're bad. Everyone in the league knows it. Every pitcher knows it. They're bad.

"They don't care. MLB doesn't give a damn about it. They don't care. We've told them our problems with them, and they don't care."

Mets manager Buck Showalter told SNY on Wednesday the club has contacted the league office about the issue:

Buck Showalter says the Mets have been in contact with the league office today about the baseballs:

"It's a concern. We're very lucky that we haven't had some real serious injury." pic.twitter.com/uiqKknRwip
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022

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