First in a two-part series
TOKYO — 2020 Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, 32, has signed with the Yokohama BayStars, becoming the first star pitcher from the major leagues ever to play in Japan in his prime. Bauer, a 17-game winner with the Cleveland Indians in 2017, won the Cy Young in the pandemic shortened 2020 season, when he led the big leagues in ERA with 1.73. After signing a three-year, $105 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers he was among the league leaders in 2021, with an 8-5 mark and an ERA of 2.59, when he was suspended for his violating MLB’s domestic violence policy and then released by L.A. this January.
Other big name stars in their prime have played in Japan. Bob Horner in 1987. Davey Johnson in 1975 and 1976. Both men had managed to free themselves of contractual restrictions and took big money offers from Japanese teams. But Bauer is the first MLB pitcher at his peak to play for a Japanese team. His MLB career was derailed following sexual assault allegations, the first of which emerged in June 2021.
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