Trevor Bauer’s MLB redemption bid falling flat with the worst ERA in Japanese baseball, per MLB Insider

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been trying to revive his career by finding a way back to the major leagues. However, things are not going to plan for the veteran pitcher in Japan.

Bauer, who last pitched in the MLB for the Dodgers in 2021, is playing in Japan in his second stint in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). However, it has been a contrasting performance from his first stint in 2023 as the former Cy Young winner has been one of the worst pitchers in NPB this season.

The Yokohama Baystars demoted Bauer to the minors after underwhelming performances. The former All-Star pitcher is doing the rounds on social media after surrendering a 594-foot home run, one of the longest in NPB history, on his return from the minors against the Hiroshima Carp on Wednesday.

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Trevor Bauer pitched six innings on the night, conceding four earned runs with five strikeouts. Hiroshima registered a 4-3 win against the BayStars, with all their runs coming against the former Dodgers pitcher.

The former Cy Young winner pitched for the BayStars in 2023 after he served a 182-game suspension from MLB. Bauer pitched in Mexico for the Diablos Los Rojos and was named the Pitcher of the Year after helping them to the league championship.

He went undefeated in the regular season with a 10-0 record and a 2.48 ERA, striking out 120 batters in 83.1 innings. He had 32 strikeouts with a 1.67 ERA in the postseason last year.

Trevor Bauer makes unwanted records against Hiroshima

Trevor Bauer's outing against Hiroshima was a bittersweet evening for the former Dodgers pitcher. While Bauer became the fastest Central League pitcher to register 100 strikeouts, his ERA climbed to 4.17 for the season, the highest by any NPB starter.

The veteran pitcher hoped for a return to major league baseball after his stellar season in Mexico last season, but no MLB team took a chance on the veteran ace. His continued struggles in Japan are further hampering his chances of a potential MLB return in the future.

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