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"HOUSTON - Time and circumstance ultimately did what an alarming injury could not: end Chris Bassitt's season. No longer in playoff contention, the A's will not start Bassitt in their season finale Sunday, manager Bob Melvin said, finishing a year for the right-hander that was notable both before and after Aug. 17. Bassitt was compiling a case for Cy Young consideration when a line drive struck him during his start in Chicago, causing facial fractures. He returned about four weeks after surgery to pitch in two games in September. \"It wasn't anything personal,\" Bassitt said Friday of his motivation to return this season. \"Honestly, the only reason I wanted to come back was I thought we could get to the playoffs, and I wanted to be part of that. So that was literally my only motivation. My only focus was when we get to the playoffs, I want to be part of that group.\" The A's stayed mathematically alive until the season's final week, but there is little doubt Bassitt's injury was a significant blow. Initial concerns involved only his health. Bassitt, bloodied by the line drive, was taken to the hospital as the A's continued to play. Teammate Jed Lowrie said the next day he \"was sick to my stomach last night.\" Frankie Montas said he'd wanted to cry on seeing Bassitt down. Tests ruled out damage to Bassitt's brain or vision, the A's said, and he was back visiting their clubhouse before the team left Chicago. His mound presence, though, proved difficult to replace. Bassitt led the AL in wins and innings pitched at the time of his injury. He will finish the season with a 12-4 record and 3.15 ERA in 157 ?...\" innings. If his innings total had qualified, his ERA would rank second in the league. \"I mean, I knew I was basically first or second in every category when it happened,\" Bassitt said. \"But that's part of it. It sucks. But, I mean, it could be a blessing where I come back next year and I'm a little bit more fresh than other people, because I basically took a month off with my arm. \"Do you want all those accolades? I guess. But at the end of the day, the only (reason) I'm upset about not being able to throw 200-plus innings, whatever it may have been, was just what it did to our team. I just think if the injury never happened, we would be in the playoffs.\" Montas said after Bassitt's injury he \"felt like s- for him,\" in part because \"he was having such a really good season.\" Bassitt said that was not a factor in his own feeling. \"I have always thought the personal accolades will come with my goal, and my goal is to win a World Series, and that's literally it,\" Bassitt said. \"I wanted to get to the playoffs again. I know how awesome that is. I wanted to win a World Series. And we just didn't do either one of those, so I'm mad at that.\" The A's arrived in Chicago in mid-August sharing the AL's third-best record with the White Sox. They awoke Aug. 15 a season-high 19 games above .500, but then posted a 17-25 record through Wednesday, when they were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss in Seattle. \"I just think we got injured at such the wrong time - me personally, then obviously we had (suspended outfielder Ramón Laureano) go out, we just had multiple injuries stack up on us and we weren't able to fill those holes,\" Bassitt said. \"And it unfortunately, I think, just sunk us.\" As Bassitt's return became a reality, the A's targeted three regular-season starts for him to build his pitch count for potential playoff outings. On Aug. 24, Bassitt had surgery to correct a tripod fracture in his right cheek area and have bone fragments removed. On Sept. 23, he started against Seattle and worked three scoreless innings on 48 pitches. He pitched against the Mariners again five days later and allowed a run in 3 ?...\" innings, throwing 67 pitches. Sunday would have marked his last build-up start. His next turn, instead, should come in the spring. By then, Bassitt said, the hope is that any lingering effects of his injury will have subsided. \"Long term, as in permanent damage, no, we don't believe there's going to be any of that,\" Bassitt said. \"But short term, I still can't eat right, my jaw's still kind of messed up, locked up a little bit. Still dealing with some nerve damage. ... We're hoping, I think on a realistic timetable, spring training of next year I should basically be back to normal and not feel weird; not have any nerve problems, anything like that.\" Each of Bassitt's past three seasons has marked improvement. After posting a 2.29 ERA in the short 2020 season, Bassitt had career bests in strikeout and walk rate and opponents' batting average this year. His 11 starts finishing seven or more innings are most among AL pitchers. \"Going into this season, he was our No. 1 guy coming out of spring and he knew it,\" Melvin said. \"That can be a tough role to handle when you haven't had it before. And he handled it beautifully, and had big shoulders and did everything you would expect your No. 1 guy to do. And delivered, as far as performance goes.\" Matt Kawahara covers the A's for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara"
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