When will Trevor Bauer (Yokohama DeNA Baystars), who has adapted to the Japanese professional baseball stage to the extent of winning two monthly MVP titles in his first season in Japan despite a long hiatus, return?
Bauer began his professional career after being selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. He went on to play for the Cleveland Indians (currently the Guardians), the Cincinnati Reds, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, with a total of 83 wins, 69 losses, and an ERA of 3.79 over 10 seasons. achieved excellent results. However, after the 2021 season, his major league career was completely cut off.
In 2020, when the shortened season was held due to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), Bauer recorded 5 wins, 4 losses, and an average ERA of 1.73, and even won the National League Cy Young Award. There was no problem with his skills, but the problem occurred off the pitch. He was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met through social media. Bauer was found not guilty due to insufficient evidence, but was severely punished by the Major League Baseball office with a 324-game suspension.
Bauer fought the Major League Baseball office to somehow reduce his suspension, and succeeded in getting his suspension reduced to 194 games. However, the Dodgers, who gave Bauer a huge three-year contract worth $102 million (approximately 137.8 billion won) ahead of the 2021 season, decided to release Bauer, and 29 clubs other than the Dodgers also had to reach out to the ‘troublemaker’. The position was narrowed.
Bauer had no choice but to turn his attention to the Asian stage and succeeded in signing a contract with Yokohama DeNA Baystars ahead of this season. Bauer’s debut was delayed due to shoulder pain prior to the opening game, but he was in good health despite being away from the mound for a long period of time. Bauer quickly shook off his initial slump in Japan, and won his first monthly MVP title with 4 wins and an ERA of 2.08 in 4 games in June when the exchange match began.
Bauer stuck to the pitching rotation with four days of rest, but pitched more than 100 pitches in each pitch, becoming Yokohama DeNA’s ‘ace’ along with Shota Imanaga. In particular, in August, he pitched in 6 games and recorded 3 wins, 1 loss, and an average ERA of 1.67. He achieved better results than in June and won his second monthly MVP award. However, Bauer is currently in a state of ‘closed business’.
Bauer suffered an unexpected accident during a match against the Hanshin Tigers held at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on the 30th of last month (Korean time). In the bottom of the third inning, Hanshin’s Koji Chikamoto’s batted ball rolled exquisitely between the third baseman and the pitcher, and it was good to catch Chikamoto’s batted ball through sliding. However, Bauer twisted his body and threw the ball to first base, which led to an injury.
At the time, Bauer could only pitch 3 innings due to this, and after that he completely disappeared. As a result of the examination, Bauer was diagnosed with damage to the distal part of the right iliopsoas muscle. The iliopsoas muscle is a muscle located slightly above his pelvis, so to put it simply, he suffered a back injury close to his buttocks. At the time Bauer was injured, coach Daisuke Miura had a negative tone when asked about his return this season, and it is clear that it has become difficult for him to return during the season.
So, when will Bauer be able to stand on the mound? According to multiple local media outlets, including Japan’s ‘Daily Sports’ and ‘Full Count’, Bauer’s return is expected to be possible only at the climax series’ ‘Final Stage’. That means Yokohama DeNA must advance to the postseason stage. As of the end of the game on the 27th, Yokohama is ranked 3rd in the Central League, ahead of 4th place Yomiuri Giants by 3.5 games.
Both teams have four games left until the end of the regular season, and at this point, Yokohama DeNA’s chances of advancing to the postseason are very high. Because you only need to win one game. However, since baseball is not over until it is over, the future situation cannot be guaranteed. If Yokohama loses all of their remaining games and Yomiuri wins all four games, a ‘surprise’ may occur.
According to multiple Japanese media, Bauer said on his YouTube channel, “If you complete the long toss by October 6th, you will have a week to pitch in the bullpen. It will take about a week to pitch with the batter standing up. It will take October 20th to be able to throw in one or two games. “The work has to be done,” he said. However, even if Yokohama DeNA makes it to the postseason stage, there is a problem. If Yokohama advances to the postseason in third place, it must defeat Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the Climax Series ‘First Stage’ to advance to the upper round. That point is October 20th.레모나토토
If the condition recovers faster, the return may be accelerated, but returning from the first stage is not easy. First of all, Coach Miura said, “I did not watch Bauer’s YouTube video. I will decide to return once I feel confident and confirm that the rest is progressing smoothly through the trainer,” and said, “Nothing has been decided at the moment.”
When Bauer signed with Yokohama DeNA, he signed a short-term contract of one year. Therefore, he may transfer to another team or leave for another league after this season ends. Local media are raising concerns about Bauer’s ransom. It remains to be seen whether Bauer will finish the season due to injury, or whether he will return to the mound wearing the Yokohama DeNA uniform and reap the glory.