How lucky have we been with foreign pitchers? Trevor Bauer has made history by becoming the second pitcher in 20 years to win a game for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars franchise.

Bauer earned his fifth win of the season after throwing 114 pitches for seven hits, four walks, seven strikeouts and three runs (three earned) in 6 1/3 innings of a quality start (six innings or less) against the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball 2023 at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

It’s a complete turnaround for the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner, who struggled mightily in his first two games in Nippon Professional Baseball. After being demoted to the second team and given time to adjust, Bauer has rattled off five consecutive quality starts since his return, including a personal-best four-game winning streak.

On April 14, Bauer started against the Nippon Ham Fighters and threw 113 pitches in nine innings, allowing three hits (one home run), 12 strikeouts, and one run (one earned) for his first complete game victory in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Yokohama DeNA designated Bauer for assignment and gave him a break, given that the team had an off day after the exchange.

The main reason for Bauer’s removal was the game on the 25th. Hanshin is tied with Yokohama DeNA for the Central League lead, a position that could change depending on the outcome of the weekend’s three-game series, and Bauer delivered the best result Yokohama DeNA could have hoped for, moving the team into sole possession of first place in the league.

Bauer broke up a scoreless start with a strikeout in the first inning, then got out of the first jam in the second with runners on first and second. He was shaken up a bit in the third inning when he gave up a hit-by-pitch, but cruised with two strikeouts, and in the fourth inning, Kento Itohara, Shota Morishita, and Ryutaro Umeno combined for the first triple play of the game.

The first run came in the fifth inning. Leading 3-0 in the top of the fifth, Bauer, who had given up a single to Ryuhei Obata and a walk to Koji Chikamoto, was hit by a three-pitch 142-kilometer changeup from Ukyo Maegawa for his first run. She then gave up a Yusuke Oyama single to put runners on first and third with two outs in the fifth inning. The Yokohama DeNA bats then gave Bauer some extra support, scoring one run each in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings.

Bauer held Hanshin to two runs in the sixth inning, but the finish was a little disappointing. Bauer took the mound in the seventh, but back-to-back hits and an error put runners on second and third with no outs. Bauer got Chikamoto to fly out to center field and trade a single for a run, but then gave up a walk to Maegawa and was forced to retire the side.

Bauer was pulled with two runners on base, but the Yokohama DeNA bullpen got the next two outs without allowing a run, leaving Bauer with three runs in 6 1/3 innings. With the momentum in their favor, Yokohama shut the door behind them, defeating Hanshin 5-3 to regain first place for the first time since May 13.

Bauer, who picked up his fifth win of the season, also earned a place in franchise history. “Bauer has four wins in June alone,” said Japan’s Nikkan Sports, “and is only the second foreign pitcher in franchise history to do so in 20 years, after Domingo Guzman in September 2003.” It’s a testament to how far the organization has fallen from favor with foreign pitchers.온라인바카라

According to Nikkan Sports, when asked for his thoughts after the game, Bauer, who is an active social media user, shouted out “Hashtag Yokohama wins” and said, “I didn’t feel good today. There were a lot of sand dunes and I struggled. But I focused on what I could control,” he said, revealing the secret to his strong performance. Despite a rough start, Bauer is slowly adjusting to Nippon Professional Baseball.