Trevor Bauer (Yokohama DeNA Basestars), a former Saiyans player who suffered relegation to the second division, has won his first monthly MVP award after stepping onto the Japanese professional baseball stage.
“Trevor Bauer of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars won his first monthly MVP award with an overwhelming performance,” local media including Japan’s Sankei Sports reported on the 11th (Korean time).
Bauer, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020 after going 5-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 11 appearances for the Cincinnati Reds, was in the midst of his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent when he was accused of sexual assault. Bauer was successful in getting his punishment reduced by Major League Baseball, but what he got back was a release, not a chance to pitch.
With no place in the major leagues, Bauer turned to Asia, where he was linked to the Yokohama DeNA of Nippon Professional Baseball ahead of the season. After missing the opening day roster due to shoulder discomfort, Bauer joined the team in May and earned his first win in his first start, pitching seven innings of one-run ball.
However, the victory was short-lived. Bauer struggled mightily in his second start, allowing seven runs (six earned) in six innings against the Yomiuri Giants, and was demoted to the second team in a showdown with his debut opponent, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, after allowing seven runs (seven earned) in two innings. After a ten-day adjustment period, Bauer was a completely different player.
In his comeback, Bauer allowed two runs (two earned) over six innings in a no-decision before getting back on track. In his first start of June, Bauer earned his second win against the Seibu Lions with eight innings of 10-strikeout ball and two runs (two earned), and continued his winning streak against the Orix Buffaloes with seven innings of nine-strikeout ball and two runs (one earned).
His best outing came last month on April 14 against the Nihon Ham Fighters. Bauer pitched nine innings, throwing 113 pitches, allowing three hits (one home run), one walk, 12 strikeouts, and one run (one earned) for his fourth win of the season, his first “complete game” of the year, and he piled up wins in all four of his June outings, including a 6⅓-inning, three-run outing against the Hanshin Tigers, who are racing up the Central League standings.카지노사이트
As Sankei Sports explained, “Bauer, a superstar foreigner, won his first MVP award in June with four wins, a 2.08 ERA, and 38 strikeouts in four games, including three starts in the exchange series.” It was a big month for Bauer, who went 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA in four starts in May.
“I’m happy to receive this award among so many great players,” Bauer said. “I’m also thankful for my batters because four wins is not possible without the efforts of all of them. It’s also great that I was able to adapt to Nippon Professional Baseball. I learned a lot,” he said after receiving the award.
Bauer had a lot of fun with his high fastball in the U.S., but his pitches improved dramatically in Japan when he realized that a lower pitch was more effective. “In the U.S., my high fastball was often effective, so I threw it a lot, but I realized that I needed a lower pitch to learn Japanese hitters and Japanese baseball,” Bauer explained.
“I want to perform as well as I can because the competition in the Central League is fierce,” Bauer said, “and there are a lot of good players fighting a good fight, so I’m going to do my job and make it a season to share with the fans.