Bauer, an eccentric pitcher who went to Japan to be forced out of ML, “I was impressed with the WBC championship”
Geek pitcher’ Trevor Bauer (32), who was kicked out of the US major league, announced a new start with a ceremony at the Yokohama DeNA Baystar in Japan’s professional baseball league.
Bauer held a press conference to join DeNA in downtown Yokohama, Japan on the 24th. Bauer signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Yokohama DeNA on the 14th, and greeted Japanese fans for the first time wearing a uniform with the number 96 through an official press conference that day.
According to Japanese media such as ‘Nikkan Sports’, Bauer said, “I am really happy to be here. I feel really good. I slept well yesterday, and I am full of joy to be here,” he said. “In my heart, playing in Japan was on my bucket list. I came to Japan as a representative of an American university in 2009, and I cannot forget the memories of that time. He felt a lot of love for baseball in Japan, and he came to think that he would like to play here someday.”
Bauer, who visited the Yokohama 2nd Army Stadium in 2019 and made friends with left-handed ace Inama Shota, said, “At that time, Baystars showed me the club facilities and welcomed me as if I had come home. That’s what made me want to play for the Baystars,” he recalled.
Japan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) 7-game winning streak also left a deep impression on Bauer. “It was a very exciting competition,” he said. It’s really fun to watch international competitions where players represent their countries. It was better because Japan won,” he said. “As you can see from the fact that Japan won, Japan did well. He has won 3 of his 5 WBC tournaments. I was very impressed with the passion Japanese players showed and the way they fought for their country.”
Regarding his goal for this season, Bauer said,안전놀이터 “The most important thing is to win. Personally, there are more than 200 strikeouts and an average speed of 96 miles (154.5 km), but winning is the most important thing. Winning is my biggest goal.”
Bauer, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020, is famous as a ‘geek pitcher’ who caused controversy big and small because of his strong personality throughout his career. He showed a special interest in Japanese baseball from the time he was in the major leagues, and even after winning his Cy Young Award, he said, “I am interested in playing in Japan someday. He also said, “He has great respect for Japanese baseball and culture.” After he obtained the FA qualification, he said, “I will also consider offers from Japanese teams,” and after that, about two years later, he actually came to Japan.
Bauer, who was a Cy Young Young pitcher just three years ago, was sued for sexual assault in June 2021, when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his major league career was entangled. He was suspended for 324 games by the Major League Secretariat in April of last year after being placed on administrative leave. After an appeal, the penalty was eased to 194 games in December of last year, and it was possible to return from the point after 50 games this year, but the Dodgers released Bauer in disappointment at the appearance of not reflecting even after the controversy. He was released as a free agent, but no major league team sought out Bauer.
Although he was forced out of the major leagues, he took a new opportunity in Japan, which he loved so much. Bauer, who has a gap in practice for a year and a half, said, “I have been training alone almost without a break. He is more powerful than before, and his velocity is faster. He developed a new split changeup, and his control improved. He was confident of his debut in mid-April, saying, “I have been using the Japanese official ball for several months, so there is no problem adapting to it.” He also gave the reason for choosing his number 96 “to average 96 mph”. During his major league days, he used numbers 17 (Arizona), 47 (Cleveland), and 27 (Cincinnati/Dodgers).