Trevor Bauer Explains Why He Gave His Own Signs Away in Spring Training Game Against Dodgers
By Jackson Thompson
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer has continued to make headlines during Spring Training in response to the Houston Astros cheating scandal and he made his presence felt in a big way earlier this week.
In a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, Bauer intentionally tipped his pitches against hitter Matt Beaty and then the right-hander explained why on Wednesday.
Trevor Bauer explained why he intentionally tipped his own pitches against #Dodgers hitter Matt Beaty on Monday and he responded to questions about using a foreign substance in Sept. 2019 by trolling Gerrit Cole. https://t.co/lF1GXkkr0C #Reds
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) March 4, 2020
“It was an inside story that I can’t tell you guys, but just having fun, joking around,” Bauer told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It wasn’t, like, team specific. Like I said, it was just joking around and having some fun. I did it, actually, twice last year in the season, something that I’ll probably do at some point again this season. I think there is a lot of interesting outcomes that can come from it psychologically and competitively and stuff. Spring training is a time when you work on things.”
Straight from Derek Dietrich: @BauerOutage was intentionally telling Matt Beaty what pitch was coming in that 4th-inning plate appearance.#RedsST?⚾ | @JimDayTV pic.twitter.com/HlqFHZaZWN
— FOX Sports Cincinnati (@FOXSportsCincy) March 2, 2020
Bauer has been one of the more polarizing players in baseball over the last several seasons. Seldom hiding his opinions for opponents on social media, he draws more attention to himself than most, which is why he's been front and center this offseason for topics he's felt passionate about.
His moments on the field have ranged everywhere from extraordinary postseason pitching performances to inflammatory regular season meltdowns. Expect more of the same in 2020 especially with all that's going on at the moment.