Bassitt pitches 6 innings and Blue Jays beat White Sox 6-1 in rain-shortened game

CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Bassitt pitched six strong innings, Davis Schneider hit a home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Tuesday night in a game that was shortened to seven innings because of rain.

The Blue Jays have won 10 games in a row — their longest win streak since they won 11 straight in 2015 — and 12 of 13.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two hit and two RBIs.

Schneider hit a leadoff homer off starter Aaron Civale (1-6) to open the scoring before Guerrero and Addison Barger each hit an RBI double in Toronto’s five-run third inning.

Bassitt (9-4) gave up four hits and a run — a solo homer by Josh Rojas in the sixth.

Chicago has lost nine straight home games against the Blue Jays.

Guerrero hit an RBI single in the sixth to make it 6-0.

The rain delay lasted about 1 hour, 20 minutes before the game was called.

Chicago had two runners on base with one out in the first and second innings but Bassitt got Miguel Vargas and Austin Slater, respectively, to ground into 4-6-3 double plays and end both threats.

Toronto (54-38) set a franchise record for wins prior to the All-Star break. The Blue Jays won 53 games before the break in 1985 and 1992.

Toronto's Eric Lauer (4-1, 2.65 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against Adrian Houser (4-2, 1.60) to wrap up a three-game series.

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Baseball fans watch during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A young fan looks down at the field during a rain delay in the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A tarp covers the infield during a rain delay in the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. looks to the field before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Chicago, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Toronto Blue Jays' Joey Loperfido breaks his bat as he grounds into a force out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)