MLB Controversies of the Week: Trevor Bauer wins $309K judgment, Ryan Weathers’ scary head injury & more

There is never a dull week in MLB, and the recently concluded gameweek was no different, with several on and off-field controversies intriguing major league baseball fans.

Former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer, one of the most polarizing figures in recent years, was in the news again this last week. Apart from Bauer, Miami Marlins pitcher Ryan Weathers was in the news for a bizarre head injury.

One of the other controversies of the past week was MLB's decision to remove the Pride colors from their logo. Boston Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins also caused controversy with his comments on the New York Yankees. Here are the controversies from the week:

Trevor Bauer wins $309k defamation suit

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was suspended by the MLB for 192 games in the wake of sexual allegations in 2021. The former Cy Young winner settled the case with his accuser, Lindsey Hill, two years ago.

However, Bauer accused Hill of breaching the terms of his settlement and filed a defamation lawsuit in October last year. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday settled the suit in favor of the former MLB pitcher.

The Judge ordered Hill to pay Bauer $309,830 for violating the terms of their agreement 22 times.

Ryan Weathers' freak head injury

MLB fans are no strangers to seeing injuries, especially pitchers taking comebackers on the mound. However, Miami Marlins pitcher Ryan Weathers suffered a bizarre injury at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday.

During the game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Weathers was throwing warm-up pitches before the bottom of the first inning. After throwing his last pitch, catcher Nick Fortes threw the ball back toward the second base.

However, the throw caught Weathers flush in the head as the pitcher collapsed on the ground. The Marlins hurler stayed in the game after being checked by the trainers.

MLB removed Pride Rainbow from logo

Major League Baseball introduced a new logo with Rainbow colors to celebrate Pride Month at the start of June. However, the league removed the new logo, fearing backlash from fans.

While MLB didn't release any official statement to clarify their stance, speculations suggested the decision was made because of backlash from political commentators in the past.

Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins sparks controversy with jibe at New York Yankees

The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees share one of the most storied rivalry in baseball history. Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins enraged Yankees fans after saying:

“If the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I’d retire.”

The 25-year-old made the comments before his start against the Yankees in the series finale on Sunday. He pitched five innings and conceded four runs over five hits in an 11-7 win.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge, who had a multi-home run game in the series decider, took notice of the rookie's jibe.

"I’ve only heard Ken Griffey Jr. say that, so I was a little surprised,” Judge said.

Although Dobbins didn't have the best of nights on Sunday, Boston clinched the series with the victory.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash