"If Shohei Ohtani can do it, you can too": Fans react to Trevor Bauer facing top Japanese pitcher

Former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer is biding his time playing for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. His recent at-bat against one of Japan’s premier pitchers has gone viral.

Bauer previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and the LA Dodgers before a sexual assault allegation led to suspension. Moreover, even after it ended, his sway over MLB teams faded away as no one signed him back.

On Saturday, Bauer shared a video analyzing his at-bat against Hanshin Tigers starter Hiroto Saiki. Bauer walked fans through his thought process as he eventually fell victim to a dominant heater.

Fans on the internet had all kinds of reactions to it.

“Keep taking BP. If Shohei can do it, you can. Line up your knocking knuckles and hit line drives,” one fan reacted optimistically for Bauer.

"pitchers should just swing away, maybe you'll get lucky," another wrote.

“Saiki was untouchable against the World Champion Dodgers!” one fan hailed the Japanese pitcher.

Some fans provided Bauer advice on what he could have done better there.

“You just like watching the ball too much. Guess it’s like spiting on artwork to you. Lol,” one fan wrote.

“I’d make you do the same thing I make my son do. Keep that hat all the way back. That way your first movement isn’t backward. Lower body looks good,” another commented.

“Is there any chance you will get your MLB career back? Good luck," one fan had a sarcastic jibe.

How Trevor Bauer got dominated by Japanese ace Hiroto Saiki at the plate?

The video Trevor Bauer shared had the whole narrative on how the matchup between him and Hiroto Saiki unfolded.

The first pitch was a fastball up in the zone that appeared much faster than he anticipated. Bauer acknowledged feeling uncomfortable in the box but found himself ahead in the count at 1-0. The next pitch ran inside, and although Bauer believed it missed the plate, the umpire called it a strike, evening the count at 1-1.

At that point, Bauer began predicting the sequence. After seeing two fastballs, he thought a third would be unlikely from a pitcher’s perspective—yet expected exactly that.

When the third fastball came, it was a pitch Bauer believed he could handle, but he was late. He admitted that had it been thrown at 90 mph, he might have connected, but at 94 mph, he had no chance.

With the count at 1-2, Bauer knew he had one more shot but couldn’t capitalize. The strike-three pitch looked low and outside out of the hand, but ended up catching the zone.

Trevor Bauer was struck out looking, but he won't mind that, given he was up against a strong pitcher.