Fastball

Former Cy Young Winner Trevor Bauer Roughed Up in Japanese League Start

Pitching against the Yomiuri Giants on Wednesday, Bauer gave up five earned runs, but there was an interesting set of circumstances working against him.

Brady Farkas

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (27) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at Petco Park in 2021.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (27) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at Petco Park in 2021. / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
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Former National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer was roughed up on Wednesday in his start for the DeNa Baystars of the Japanese league.

Pitching against Yomiuri, Bauer gave up five earned runs on seven hits over 5.0 innings. He walked one and struck out four.

However, it should be noted that there were some interesting circumstances surrounding this start, as noted by the Yakyu Cosmopolitan.

Someone will probably bring this up so I’ll mention that Bauer threw 3 scoreless innings on Saturday at home but the game was rained out and the results were wiped. He was pitching on short rest today and he had also missed his previous start before that with an apparent injury.

Now 34 years old, Bauer hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2021. He was suspended in 2021 over a domestic violence allegation and ended up missing 182 combined games between 2021 and 2022.

He was never charged with a crime and the credibility of some of his accusers has come into question, but major league teams have stayed away, forcing him to continue his career other places.

Bauer has spent parts of 10 years in the big leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Dodgers. He won the Cy Young with the Reds in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Bauer made the All-Star team in Mexico in 2024, and he won the league's version of the Cy Young Award. He went 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA in the regular season, striking out 120 batters in 83.1 innings. He also struck out 32 with a 1.67 postseason ERA as Diablos Los Rojos won the league championship.

He's 10-5 in his career in the NPB, also playing there in 2023.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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