A former Cy Young winner had an eventful and emotional game this Tuesday. During a Long Island Ducks game, the pitcher was largely disappointed with the umpire’s call. And the outspoken player used some incredibly strong words toward the official as tension spiraled on and off the field. 

“This guy’s missed two already, he’s doing it on purpose,” Trevor Bauer unloaded on the umpire mid-game on May 12. “What the f–k is going on?”

The Ducks were hosting the Gastonia Ghost Peppers for an Atlantic League of Professional Baseball game on Tuesday. During the game, Gastonia’s batter hit a ground ball off Bauer with a runner on first base. The fielder made a clean throw to second, where the runner was forced out by a good distance. Much to the dismay of the players and the broadcasters, the umpire at second base marked the runner safe. 

Bauer was already unhappy with a prior missed call from the umpire. But he just refused to keep a lid on his emotions after he made an obvious mistake. The whole Ducks crew on the field surrounded the umpire, and even manager Lew Ford had to leave the dugout to argue with the official. However, none of them was able to convince the umpire of the glaring inaccuracy. Instead, the umpire ejected the coach for arguing the call. This only escalated the situation, and Bauer refused to calm down. He turned towards the plate umpire and continued expressing his disapproval. 

“You need to talk to your guy and tell him to get his fu–ing eyes on the game. [He needs to] get his eyes on the game because that’s fu–ing terrible,” he added. 

And the ejection of his manager infuriated him further. 

“You should be ejected from the game,” Bauer hurled at the second base umpire. “Why don’t you open your fu–ing eyes and take the sunglasses off?”

Some fans echoed the pitcher’s frustration. “That was the worst f***ing call I have ever seen, he was out by a mile at 2nd,” a fan said. 

Trevor Andrew Bauer is a veteran pitcher who played with the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians) during the majority of his MLB career. He has a career ERA of 3.79 in the major leagues, and Bauer recorded 2.59 during 17 starts in his last season with the Dodgers. 

However, the now-35-year-old faced some sexual assault allegations in 2021 and was handed a suspension. The sentence was reduced from a 324-game ban to 194 games. Although there were no criminal charges and the involved parties settled the civil suit, MLB teams were reluctant to sign him following the incident. 

As a result, Bauer went to Japan and played for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2023 and 2025. He has also played in Mexico in 2024 before joining the MLB partner at Atlanta. Despite his repeated attempts to be a part of the major league teams, none of them agreed to have him on the roster. 

And some fans assume that it was his outspoken characteristics, rather than his overall performance, that forced the MLB teams to steer away from the pitcher. 

Trevor Bauer’s emotional outbursts have followed him throughout his career

Many fans saw his outburst at the umpire as the exact reason why most managers don’t want him on their rosters. The way he unleashed a verbal arsenal had a fan question, “And you wonder why no one wants him on their team?”

His 2019 meltdown at Kauffman Stadium illustrates the pattern. During a game against the Kansas City Royals, manager Terry Francona decided to replace him after he surrendered the lead. And Trevor threw the baseball over the center field fence.

However, he later apologized for his behavior. 

“I want to be clear that my frustrations were with myself and my inability to stop the situation and keep my team in the game,” Bauer said. “I’m an intense competitor. That fire is what drives me. Today, it completely consumed me and took over.”

But his outspoken nature has flashed repeatedly throughout his career. During his time with the Reds, he was seen shouting at teammate Joey Votto for missing a catch. He again did something similar during his NPB tenure. Bauer shouted “wake up” at his Yokohama teammate following a defensive error. 

But some fans defend Bauer, arguing he’s unfairly blamed for these incidents. One fan even pointed out how he is “always the victim.”

Bauer is a fearless pitcher who rarely hesitates to speak his mind. That’s why he questioned MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. He publicly criticized the handling of sticky substances in MLB. The RHP claimed on social media that he’d even start using the substance if the league refused to enforce existing rules. 

Trevor Bauer’s performance on the field has hardly ever been a problem. But his emotional expressions have often been regarded as over-the-top. The incident from Tuesday was one such instance. And for a pitcher still eyeing an MLB return, such moments continue to make sure that the spotlight stays on his behavior rather than his baseball skills.