Trevor Bauer, 32, of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, threw a complete game for the first time in his Nippon Professional Baseball career.
Bauer started the game against the Nippon Ham Fighters at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on April 14 and pitched nine innings of three-hit ball (one home run) with 12 strikeouts and one walk. Yokohama won the game 2-1.
Bauer, who won the 2020 National League Cy Young Award for his work as a specialty ace in the majors, was suspended in July 2021 after sexual assault allegations surfaced and was effectively released from Major League Baseball last winter. Bauer made the jump to Nippon Professional Baseball this season, signing with Yokohama for $3 million.
After struggling early in the season, giving up seven runs in two consecutive games and being sent down to the second team, Bauer has pitched well since his return. With his complete game win against Nippon Ham, he is now 4-2 with a 4.00 ERA in seven games (45 innings).
As Japanese media outlet Full 토토사이트 Count noted, “Bauer picked up his fourth win of the season with his first complete game in Japan. This is the first time Bauer has gone nine innings since June 17, 2019. A solo home run in the seventh inning ended his streak of seven consecutive games without a hit, but it was the only run he allowed.”
“Good!” said Bauer, who was pleased with his performance, “When I go out there, I always go out there with the goal of throwing a complete game, and I’m happy that I was able to do that today. I didn’t feel warm until the sixth inning. I gradually found my pace, and in the last inning, I was most energized by the support of the fans,” he said after the victory.
“I was 15 short of my goal,” Bauer joked after recording the most strikeouts in a game (12) on her Japan debut. He wanted to strike out all 27 batters he faced.
Meanwhile, Bauer’s starting counterpart, Takayuki Kato, took the loss, allowing two runs on eight hits and seven walks with four strikeouts. The game was over in two hours and eight minutes, with both starting pitchers putting on a masterpiece performance.
