Former Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer poses for photographers in his new DeNA BayStars uniform during an introductory press conference in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on March 24, 2023. Bauer, who was suspended by Major League Baseball in 2022 following allegations of sexual assault, has signed a one-year deal with DeNA. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)
Trevor Bauer took the mound for the third time this Nippon Professional Baseball season on Tuesday for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and delivered his worst outing of the season.
The 32-year-old lasted just two innings for the BayStars, who would go on to lose the game 7-5 to the Hiroshima Carp. Bauer allowed seven earned runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out just one. His ineffectiveness and rising pitch count forced him out of the contest early.
This was the second consecutive game Bauer allowed seven earned runs, doing so on just 69 pitches. His ERA now sits at 8.40 in three NPB starts.
Hiroshima scored four runs in the first inning off Bauer, including a tape-measure two-run home run from Ryoma Nishikawa to right field. Hiroshima proceeded to score three more runs off Bauer in the top of the second to extend their lead to 7-0. Yokohama made the game interesting with some offense of their own, but fell short of a comeback. Yokohama relief pitchers Taiga Kamichatani, Yuya Sakamoto, Taisei Irie, and J.B. Wendelken combined to allow no earned runs and just three hits in seven innings after Bauer was pulled from the game.
Bauer, a former Cy Young Award winner with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, has not pitched in the MLB since 2021. He was placed on administrative leave for violating the Major League Baseball domestic violence and sexual assault policy in 2021 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although he never faced criminal charges, Bauer was suspended 324 games by the MLB, the longest suspension in MLB history. After his release from Los Angeles in January, Bauer received little to no interest from other MLB organizations. Bauer signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in March.
Bauer’s arrival to Japan was an exciting time for both Japanese baseball and Yokohama DeNA BayStars fans, but that may die down if his performance on the field remains poor. He may have to prove to Yokohama manager Daisuke Miura that he deserves a spot in the starting rotation.
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars, who have lost six straight contests, will play their next game on Wednesday, May 16 at 5 a.m. ET against the Hiroshima Carp. Yokohama is currently second place in the Central League with a record of 19-15, with Hiroshima not too far behind in third place at 19-16.
