Trevor Andrew Bauer is an American professional baseball pitcher currently playing for the Diablos Rojos del México in the Mexican League. He has previously played for several MLB teams including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Additionally, he played in the NPB for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
1948: Bob Feller's No-Hitter Record
Bob Feller pitched five no-hit innings for the Indians in the 1948 World Series. This record was later tied by Early Wynn in 1954 and then broken by Bauer in 2017.
1954: Early Wynn's No-Hitter Record
Early Wynn pitched five no-hit innings for the Indians in the 1954 World Series. This tied Bob Feller's 1948 record and was later broken by Bauer in 2017.
1961: Reds' First Cy Young Award Winner
He was the first pitcher for Cincinnati to receive the award; previously, the Reds were the only active MLB team founded prior to 1961 that had never boasted a winning pitcher.
1978: First Overall and Third Overall Selections from the Same College Team
In 1978, the Atlanta Braves selected Bob Horner first overall and the New York Mets selected Hubie Brooks third overall in the MLB draft, marking the first time two college teammates were selected first and third overall in the same draft.
January 17, 1991: Trevor Bauer is Born
On January 17, 1991, Trevor Andrew Bauer was born in North Hollywood, California.
2008: Bauer Dominates as a High School Junior
As a junior in high school in 2008, Bauer posted a 12-0 record with a 0.79 ERA, and his fastball reached speeds of up to 92 mph.
2009: Bauer Excels in Freshman Year at UCLA
At the end of his freshman season at UCLA in 2009, Bauer led the team with nine wins, a 2.99 ERA, and 105.33 innings pitched, earning Pac-10 Conference Baseball Newcomer of the Year honors.
2010: UCLA Starts Season 10-0
Bauer and Cole combined to push the Bruins to a 10-0 start in 2010, the best record to begin the season since the school started keeping track in the 1950s.
2010: Bauer and Cole Lead Bruins to College World Series
In 2010, Bauer and Gerrit Cole led the UCLA Bruins to a 22-game win streak and a College World Series appearance, where they lost to the University of South Carolina in the finals.
2011: Bauer Wins Golden Spikes Award and National Pitcher of the Year
In 2011, Bauer won both the Golden Spikes Award and the National Pitcher of the Year Award. He was then selected third overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB Draft.
2011: Bauer Sets Multiple UCLA Records
In 2011, Trevor Bauer had a record-setting junior year at UCLA. He broke Alex Sanchez's strikeout record from 1987, set a new UCLA all-time wins record, and led the school in strikeouts, wins, and innings pitched.
2011: Drafted by Arizona Diamondbacks
In 2011, Trevor Bauer was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking the first time two college teammates were selected first and third overall in the same MLB draft since 1978.
2011: First 2011 Draft Class Member to Debut in MLB
In 2011, Trevor Bauer was part of the draft class that saw its first member debut in the MLB on June 27, 2012.
June 27, 2012: MLB Debut
Trevor Bauer made his MLB debut on June 27, 2012, becoming the first member of the 2011 draft class to do so.
December 11, 2012: Traded to Cleveland Indians
On December 11, 2012, Trevor Bauer was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a three-team, nine-player deal. His unpopularity with the Diamondbacks was revealed after the trade.
2012: Focus on Pitching Repertoire
As a prospect in 2012, Bauer told reporters, "The more pitches that I have, that have different speeds and move differently, the more confusion it creates for the hitter."
2012: Bauer Supports Mitt Romney for President
Trevor Bauer expressed his support for Mitt Romney in the 2012 US presidential election.
2012: Bauer Begins Retooling Pitching Delivery
After the 2012 season, Trevor Bauer started retooling his pitching delivery, aiming to change years of ingrained muscle memory.
2012: Top Prospect and Promotion to Triple-A
In 2012, Trevor Bauer entered the season as the Diamondbacks' top-rated prospect and the ninth overall prospect in MLB. He was later promoted to Triple-A Reno Aces, leading the Southern League in wins, strikeouts, and ERA at the time of his promotion.
2013: Struggles with Fastball Command and Exclusion from Roster Expansion
In 2013, Trevor Bauer struggled with his fastball command throughout the season and was not included in the roster expansion in September. He attributed his poor performance to bad techniques developed after his groin injury in Arizona.
2014: Bauer's Season with the Cleveland Indians
In 2014, Bauer started the season in Columbus but was called up to the Indians on April 8th and again on May 20th. He made 26 starts for the Indians, going 5-8 with a 4.18 ERA and striking out 143 batters. A significant improvement was his lower walk rate.
2015: Bauer's Season with the Cleveland Indians
In 2015, Bauer was named to the Indians' opening day roster. He struggled at times, particularly in May, and was moved to the bullpen in September. He finished the season 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, leading the American League in walks.
2015: Domestic Violence Policy Implemented
In 2015, the league's domestic violence policy went into effect.
2016: Bauer Abstains from Voting in Presidential Election
Trevor Bauer did not vote in the 2016 United States presidential election.
2016: Bauer Emerges as a Force in Indians Rotation
By 2016, Bauer had emerged as a regular force in the Cleveland Indians starting rotation.
2016: Bauer's World Series Performance
In the 2016 World Series, Bauer started games 2 and 5 for the Cleveland Indians, losing both games. The Indians ultimately lost the series in seven games.
2016: Bauer's Season with the Cleveland Indians
In 2016 Bauer began the season in the bullpen but moved into the starting rotation after an injury to Carlos Carrasco. He had a strong season, going 12-8 with a 4.26 ERA. However, he suffered a finger injury during the ALCS while repairing a drone. Despite this, the Indians advanced to the World Series.
January 12, 2017: Bauer's Contract Extension with the Indians
On January 12, 2017, Trevor Bauer agreed to a one-year, $3.55 million contract with the Cleveland Indians.
February 2017: Bauer Criticizes Tech Companies and Espouses Political Views
In February 2017, Trevor Bauer publicly accused Apple and Twitter of exhibiting a liberal bias. He also articulated a range of political viewpoints, including climate change denial, skepticism about Obama's birthplace, and defense of the Cleveland Indians' mascot.
2017: Bauer Develops New Slider
During the 2017–18 offseason, Bauer estimated that he had pitched a total of 40 practice innings with UCLA alumni in order to present a new slider for the 2018 MLB season.
2018: Bauer Suffers Stress Fracture
Shortly after his first MLB All-Star Game appearance in 2018, Bauer's career was interrupted by a stress fracture.
2018: Indians Swept by Astros in ALDS
The Houston Astros took an early lead in the 2018 ALDS, but were able to sweep the Indians after Bauer committed two throwing errors in Game 3 of the series, turning a 2–2 game into an 11–3 rout by Houston.
2018: Bauer's Dominant First Half
The result was a dominant first half of the 2018 season, in which Bauer was second in the AL with a 2.24 ERA, third with 175 strikeouts, and third with 4.5 Wins Above Replacement. The Indians, meanwhile, were 7.5 games ahead in the AL Central going into the All-Star break.
2018: Bauer Accuses Indians of Censorship
In 2018, Trevor Bauer accused the Cleveland Indians of restricting his Twitter access to censor his political commentary.
2018: Bauer's First All-Star Selection
Bauer received his first All-Star selection in 2018 and was originally meant to begin the tenth inning for the AL team, but manager A. J. Hinch ultimately allowed J. A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays to attempt the save.
2018: Bauer Injured by Line Drive
Bauer's push for the AL Cy Young Award was put on pause when he took a line drive to the leg from José Abreu on August 11 during a game against the Chicago White Sox. The hit caused injury and swelling, and an MRI revealed a stress fracture that required a walking boot and four to six weeks of recovery time.
January 2019: Bauer Engages in Online Harassment
In January 2019, Trevor Bauer engaged in online harassment of a female college student who expressed her dislike for him. He tweeted at her over several hours and encouraged his followers to join in.
July 31, 2019: Bauer Traded to the Cincinnati Reds
On July 31, 2019, the Cincinnati Reds acquired Bauer in a three-team trade with the Indians and the San Diego Padres. Cleveland acquired Yasiel Puig and Scott Moss from Cincinnati and Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, and Victor Nova from San Diego, while the Reds sent prospect Taylor Trammell to the Padres.
July 31, 2019: Bauer's Difficult Debut with the Reds
Bauer struggled in his team debut, lasting only 4+2⁄3 innings while allowing three runs on seven hits, walking three batters, and hitting another batter with a pitch.
July 31, 2019: Bauer's Dominant Performance Against the Cubs
He followed a difficult first start with a dominant appearance over the Chicago Cubs, striking out 11 batters as Cincinnati won 5–2.
2019: Bauer's Unprofessional Outburst
On July 28, after allowing the go-ahead run in a game against the Kansas City Royals, Bauer became frustrated and threw a ball over the center field fence of Kauffman Stadium. Manager Terry Francona, arriving on the mound to pull Bauer from the game, became angry with the gesture, and Bauer apologized after the game, calling the incident 'childish' and 'unprofessional'.
2019: Bauer's Historic Start to the Season
In his first two starts of the 2019 season, Bauer went 14 innings, striking out 17 batters and allowing only one hit. In addition to starting the season with a 0.64 ERA, Bauer became the first pitcher in MLB history to begin a season with back-to-back starts of five or more innings while giving up one hit.
2019: Started Momentum Films
In 2019, he started a video production company called Momentum Films, with the intention of showcasing the stories of professional baseball players, as well as their off-field personalities.
2019: Bauer Struggles with Cleveland and Cincinnati
Bauer struggled during the 2019 season, both with the Cleveland Indians and later with the Cincinnati Reds.
2019: Bauer's Ankle Injury and Back Spasms
As the season progressed, Bauer's ERA built to 3.79 with the Indians, and he revealed later that he had only been healthy for one third of his starts. An awkward throw in the fourth inning of his fourth game of the season had partially torn the ligaments in his ankle, and as he changed his stance to compensate for the injury, he began to suffer back spasms. After recovering from the injuries, he fell ill.
January 10, 2020: Bauer Signs One-Year Contract with the Reds
Bauer avoided arbitration prior to the 2020 MLB season, agreeing to a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Reds on January 10, 2020.
February 2020: Pitch Doctoring Controversy
In February 2020, Bauer helped publicize the pitch doctoring controversy when he spoke with HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel about the use of pine tar and other foreign substances, estimating that "70 percent of the pitchers in the league use some sort of technically illegal substance on the ball."
June 2020: Temporary Order of Protection Filed Against Bauer
In June 2020, a woman from Ohio filed a temporary order of protection against Trevor Bauer. This information came to light in 2021 while Bauer was under investigation for a separate assault allegation.
November 4, 2020: Bauer Becomes a Free Agent
Bauer rejected the Reds' $18.9 million qualifying offer on November 4, 2020, making him a free agent, but he said he remained open to rejoining the team.
2020: Bauer Becomes a Free Agent
After the 2020 MLB season, Bauer became a free agent.
2020: Bauer Wins Cy Young Award
In the shortened 2020 MLB season, Bauer won his first Cy Young Award, becoming the first Cincinnati Reds player to do so.
February 5, 2021: Bauer Signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers
After becoming a free agent, Bauer courted offers from a number of MLB teams, ultimately turning down a deal from the New York Mets in order to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers on February 5, 2021. The Dodgers signed Bauer to a three-year, $102 million contract, with opt-out options after the 2021 and 2022 MLB seasons.
February 2021: Bauer Signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers
After the 2020 season, Bauer signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2021.
June 2021: Bauer Placed on Administrative Leave
In June 2021, Trevor Bauer was placed on administrative leave by the MLB and investigated by the Pasadena Police Department for an alleged assault of a woman in San Diego earlier that year.
July 2, 2021: Placed on Administrative Leave
On July 2, 2021, MLB placed Bauer on administrative leave while they opened an internal investigation into sexual assault allegations that had been made against him. At the time that the allegations were made public, Bauer had an 8–5 record and a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts, and he led MLB with 107+2⁄3 innings pitched and 137 strikeouts.
2021: MLB Investigation into Pitch Doctoring
In 2021, MLB began investigating the use of such substances during the season.
2021: Multiple Sexual Assault Allegations Surface
While Trevor Bauer was under investigation in 2021 for the alleged assault of a woman in San Diego, multiple other women came forward accusing him of sexual assault.
2021: MLB Investigation Suspended
MLB's investigation into Bauer was suspended in 2021 due to the 2021–22 MLB lockout, and he began the 2022 season on continued administrative leave as the investigation continued.
2021: Stamina and Tunneling Approach
In 2021, his fastball velocity averaged 93.8 mph (151.0 km/h), with the fastest individual pitches coming towards the end of his starts. He attributes part of his late-inning success to his "tunneling approach" on the mound, which involves starting every pitch down the middle before having it break in a certain direction.
March 2022: Bauer Files Defamation Lawsuits
In March 2022, Trevor Bauer filed defamation lawsuits against Deadspin, The Athletic, Deadspin editor Chris Baud, and former Athletic reporter Molly Knight.
April 29, 2022: MLB Suspends Bauer
On April 29, 2022, MLB announced that Bauer would be suspended for 324 games as a result of their investigation into sexual assault allegations, which was later reduced to 194 on appeal.
December 22, 2022: Suspension Reduced
On December 22, 2022, the arbitrator reduced Bauer's suspension to 194 games, reinstating him immediately but also docking his pay for the first 50 games of 2023.
2022: Concerns Over Bauer's Social Media Use
Some concerns had been raised among the Mets over Bauer's social media use, including two incidents in which women accused Bauer of harassing them online. The Dodgers were aware of Bauer's abrasive reputation, but were willing to overlook it in favor of his pitching ability, with Mookie Betts telling the Los Angeles Times, 'He is who he is. You know what you're getting and so I don't really worry about it. It doesn't bother me.'
January 6, 2023: Designated for Assignment
On January 6, 2023, the Dodgers designated Bauer for assignment. He was officially released on January 12.
January 12, 2023: Dodgers Release Bauer
The Dodgers released Bauer on January 12, 2023, rather than restoring him to the active roster.
March 13, 2023: Signed with Yokohama DeNA BayStars
On March 13, 2023, Bauer agreed to an incentive-laden one-year, $4 million contract with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, a Central League team in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Dodgers paid the remainder of his $22.5 million salary for 2023.
March 2023: Defamation Lawsuits Partially Dismissed
In March 2023, a federal judge dismissed Trevor Bauer's defamation lawsuits against Deadspin and Chris Baud.
2023: Bauer Reinstated
Bauer's suspension was reduced, reinstating him immediately, but also docking his pay for the first 50 games of 2023.
2023: Bauer's Lawsuits Settled
In 2023, Trevor Bauer's defamation lawsuit against the woman who accused him of assault and her counterclaim alleging sexual battery were both settled. Neither party admitted wrongdoing, and Bauer released a video expressing his desire to move forward with his life.
March 18, 2024: Joined Diablos Rojos del México
On March 18, 2024, Bauer announced that he would start the season by pitching in six games for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League.
2024: Bauer Faces Backlash in Japan
In 2024, Trevor Bauer received backlash in Japan after posting a supportive message for Ridge Alkonis, a US naval officer convicted of negligent deaths in Japan.