Chris Bassitt gets best of Max Scherzer as Orioles eliminate Blue Jays

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If this is it for either of these pitchers, they did it because they love it still. Here they were, Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, facing off once more. When they walked off the mound after five innings each, they were applauded by a small, cold crowd at Camden Yards that was here to see two teams on the verge of elimination put each other out of their misery.

If this is the end, only they will know. Scherzer, 42, has compiled a Hall of Fame career. Bassitt, 37, has been an accomplished starter for many years.

They were here, pitching in what could become a meaningless game for both teams if the Chicago White Sox win Wednesday night, because it’s all they’ve known for the majority of their lives. And in the first game of a split doubleheader that wound up going the Orioles’ way, 4-2, the bundled-up fans can say they were here at the end.

With Baltimore’s victory, Toronto is eliminated from postseason contention. The Blue Jays could return the favor to the Orioles with a win in the nightcap. Or, should the White Sox win, the Orioles will be eliminated that way.

Soon the bells will toll; they’ll toll for these Orioles.

They will mark the end of what has been known for quite some time — that this Orioles season was a failure. In the coming days and weeks, the introspection will begin, if it hasn’t already.

There will be much to think about for the team and its individuals. For Bassitt and Scherzer, that may include whether walking off the mound during a sleepy Wednesday doubleheader feels right for an ending.

“My future is, the last game of the season, I’ll be throwing,” Bassitt said.

Beyond that?

“I’ve got a 7-year-old at home, I’ve got a 3-year-old at home and a wife that wants me to be home,” Bassitt said. “So yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we do. But I mean, overall, I still have a lot of fire in me to definitely do something. I’m gonna have to win the wife over, I’ll tell you that. But, yeah, there’s a lot of fire still in me. I know I still can play this game at a really high level.”

In Scherzer’s case, he told reporters at the other end of the Camden Yards service level he plans to pitch Sunday in Toronto.

After that?

“I’ll probably say something here in the next couple of days,” Scherzer said of his future.

For their second straight meeting, Bassitt got the better of Scherzer. This same pitching duo faced off earlier this month, and after the Orioles won, Bassitt expressed his admiration for Scherzer, with whom he was teammates on two clubs.

“I don’t want to discredit any of the greats, because I think they all have a little bit of crazy in them. But he is by far the most competitive player I ever played with and, honestly, it’s not even close,” Bassitt said earlier this month. “Obviously, his talents, his ability is off the charts. But his competitive nature is so addicting to me. It’s everything I strive to be, but he’s just, like, me on crazy pills. I couldn’t say more good things about how good of a person and how competitive he is and what he brings to a team.”

Bassitt has brought a similar sort of leadership to Baltimore, and although he missed time because of back surgery, his second half was strong. He allowed four doubles across the first four innings Wednesday but stranded all the runners. He departed after allowing a walk and a single to begin the sixth inning.

Left-hander Luis De León would’ve stranded those two inherited runners, but a throwing error from second baseman Jeremiah Jackson turned into two runs when the throw bounced past first baseman Pete Alonso.

Perhaps Alonso could’ve made a better play on the errant throw. As it is, he covered for those runs in the batter’s box when he clubbed his 41st home run of the season. Alonso, who was named the unanimous Most Valuable Oriole on Wednesday, unloaded on an elevated fastball from Scherzer for a two-run shot in the fifth.

“Pete deserves MVP votes, and he deserves them every single year,” Bassitt said. “That’s just the reality. He’s one of the most underappreciated players in our game. He’s easily a top-three hitter every single year.”

The Orioles also scored a pair in the second via Jackson’s RBI single and sneaky baserunning move, when he forced a rundown that allowed the runner on third to score.

In a few hours, the Orioles and Blue Jays will meet again. Toronto can return the favor of postseason elimination by topping Baltimore. There was little to play for Wednesday, and few fans to see it, but there were two veterans on the mound doing what they love for at least a little longer.

“It was a great outing. Just did what he usually does,” Albernaz said of Bassitt. “He thanks all the infielders behind him, thanks me. He’s never mad or upset when I take the ball from him. He understands it, and he is a team-first guy. It’s been awesome to have him.”

This article has been updated.