Trevor Bauer welcomed with open arms in Japan, shown support despite tainted past by team executive
Trevor Bauer, who was rejected by all of the MLB teams in America for the 2023 season, has been receiving a warm welcome in Japan.
Back in June 2021, a woman from San Diego accused Bauer of assault. She was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order by the Pasadena Police Department. Bauer was suspended in April 2021 due to the accusations placed on him. He was called for a civil hearing in August, however, he didn't show up for them.
In February 2022, Bauer's name was cleared of any misdeeds as the case couldn't continue due to a lack of evidence. Bauer appealed his suspension and used an independent arbitrator. His suspension was then lifted in December 2022.
The Los Angeles Dodgers released him from his three-year contract. This contract happened in 2020 and had one year remaining. After his release, no MLB team was ready to take on Bauer as he had the 'sexual assaulter' tag attached to him.
Trevor Bauer saw no chance in the MLB. He then took a gamble and signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with Yokohama DeNA BayStars, an NPB team. Since then, Bauer has been receiving a hearty welcome from the Japanese population.
Kazuo Maeda of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars said in an April 2nd interview with ESPN that the team needed Bauer. He also went on to say that the allegations were not proven and so were 'fake news'.
""We need Bauer power. I'm 75, and I want to see a championship. There's not much time left for me. We know about the domestic violence [allegations], but no one has proved it," Maeda added. "A little fake news."
Trevor Bauer’s final line in his third start on the Baystars farm
7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 93 PI
Possibly his final start before getting called up to the top team
https://t.co/AAuqCkhV1M
Trevor Bauer has achieved celebrity status in Japan. Many Japanese baseball fans have been excited about his arrival. But it seems many don't know about his past allegations or don't seem to care either.
Trevor Bauer talks about getting revered by Japanese fans
Trevor Bauer played his first ever game in Nippon Professional Baseball on April 3, 2023. The pitcher seemed to be ecstatic with the treatment he is receiving from the Japanese fans.
There have been talks of posters as tall as the seven-story building of the player being unveiled in the city's department store. Bauer, for his part, seemed humbled by the welcome he has received. He spoke in the same interview as above about how cool this has been for him.
"My face is too big," Bauer said. "It's very cool. Growing up as a kid you see professional athletes and movie stars on billboards like that; kind of cool for me to be there myself."
I still can’t believe Trevor Bauer did this 😭 https://t.co/XC2JrlmHrF