A new start in Japan. Trevor Bauer (Yokohama DeNA Baystars), who had setbacks in preparation for the season due to an injury from the start, is finally stretching.
Japan’s Sponichi Annex reported on the 12th (Korean time), “Yokohama DeNA Baystars Trevor Bauer has appeared in the live BP for the first time.” 메이저사이트
Bauer pitched in 11 games in 2020 while playing in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 4 losses with an ERA of 1.73 and winning the National League Cy Young Award. With an excellent score of 3.79, he was on a ‘win-win’ track. However, Bauer’s big league career was completely cut off after the 2021 season.
Bauer was accused of assault while having sex with a woman he met through social media. At the time, Bauer was not charged due to insufficient evidence, but he did not escape the disciplinary action of the MLB. This is because the Major League Secretariat was able to punish players accused of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse even if they were not found guilty.
Bauer received a 324-game suspension from the MLB Secretariat. Bauer struggled to get back on the mound, and last December succeeded in reducing his 324-game suspension to 194 games. However, as the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had been holding Bauer, released him, and other clubs did not extend their hands, Bauer turned his eyes to the Asian stage.
Although he was a ‘troublemaker’ in the major leagues, the news that Bauer would wear the uniform of Yokohama DeNA heated up the Japanese media. However, Bauer has not played a single game since joining Yokohama DeNA. The reason is that he was caught in his shoulder pull symptoms in the process of preparing for the season.
Bauer, who had been recovering for about two weeks, is now stretching. Bauer conducted his live pitching on the 14th at the Yokohama District 2 facility. On this day, Bauer marked his fastball’s highest speed of 151 km, and threw a new pitch, a split changeup, with a mix of curve, slider, cutter, and two-seam.
Bauer threw a total of 43 pitches that day, and according to ‘Sponichi Annex’, Bauer first threw 21 pitches, took a 5-minute break, and then threw 22 pitches again. He pitched live against a total of 3 hitters, and had only 1 hit in a game against them. Teammates including Shota Imana, who played for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) team in Japan, applauded Bauer’s pitching.
Kyosuke Mashiko, who struck out in a head-to-head matchup with Bauer, gave him a thumbs up, saying, “It’s amazing. I’ve never had a strikeout without a swing this year.” Then, the catcher, who worked with Bauer, said, “The split changeup is a trajectory that I have never seen before.”
After his first live pitching, Bauer is now expected to improve his real-life skills in the game. Japan’s “Nikkan Sports”