Former Dodgers Pitcher, Coach Win Championship in Mexico

Former Cy Young winner and Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer delivered a dominant performance on the mound in the Mexican League this season, which ended with the Diablos Rojos claiming a championship on Monday. The team celebrated the achievement with a post on social media.

Former Dodgers coach Lorenzo Bundy managed the winning team. Bundy has managed in Mexico at various stops since 1991. The Dodgers’ former third base coach (2014-15) and Triple-A manager (2011-13) has now managed four championship teams south of the border.

It was Diablos Rojos’ 17th championship and it was a title 10 years in the making.

Bauer’s journey to this point was anything but smooth.

Once a Cy Young Award winner , he was suspended in 2021 over a domestic violence allegation and ended up missing 182 games in total between 2021 and 2022.

Bauer’s skill on the mound was never in doubt, which he demonstrated this season by setting a Liga Mexicana de Beisbol record with 19 strikeouts in a single game against Guerreros de Oaxaca. The ball from that game now resides in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

Since pitching his final game for the Dodgers more than three years ago, Bauer’s future in American baseball is unclear. He recently said he’s found his love for the game again in Mexico.

“Having the support of the Diablos organization, players, teammates, and everyone in the organization has been pretty important for me,” Bauer said in a pre-game interview this week. “I kind of rediscovered the love of playing baseball this year.”

Rachel Luba, Bauer’s agent, noticed the transformation in Bauer up close.

“Watching Trevor rediscover his passion for baseball after all the setbacks has been the most rewarding part of this year,” she said , expressing gratitude to the Diablos Rojos for the opportunity. “It was evident that pitching in Mexico had reignited something within him.”

Bauer, unable to secure a major league contract this year, made the All-Star team in Mexico and had an outstanding season. He posted a 10-0 record with a 2.48 ERA, racking up 120 strikeouts over 83.1 regular-season innings.

In the postseason, he pitched 27.0 innings, striking out 32 with a 1.67 ERA.

Before Mexico, Bauer played parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Dodgers. He won the Cy Young Award with the Reds during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Photo Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

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