GLENDALE, Arizona – Trevor Bauer plunged into an incipient rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres with one eye closed.
The Dodgers ’prized off-season acquisition sailed through his first inning against the Padres on Saturday afternoon throwing mostly with his right eye closed, a training method he said he frequently uses as a medium. to get uncomfortable.
“I thought if they can’t mark me with one eye open, it will be hard to mark me with two eyes open,” Bauer said after throwing three unscored innings from the Dodgers facilities. “Just having a little fun.”
Bauer didn’t go into details about why he occasionally chooses to keep an eye closed, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned it had something to do with recalibrating his command.
“I think there could have been a curve ball that I think he did with both eyes closed,” Roberts said as he kept laughing. “I don’t know, but there’s a method to his madness.”
Bauer, 30, said he routinely keeps at least one eye closed in bullpen sessions, while playing long throws and when facing batters during the offseason, adding that he likes to “make me uncomfortable and throw things different in my own way and try to find a solution for “.
Bauer ceded a single to Jurickson Profar to begin his outing, limiting a bat from nine pitches, and then threw a walk to Tommy Pham before retiring the next three batters, the last two on offense. During the next two innings, with both eyes open, he apparently withdrew six of the seven beaters he faced.
The Padres came out of a game on Friday night and didn’t play most of their starters, which meant Bauer didn’t get another crack against third baseman Manny Machado, who is famously beating .588 /. 667 / .1,412 against him on 17 appearances on the professional plate. Bauer previously made a YouTube video analyzing Machado’s success against him, and Dodgers baseball operations president Andrew Friedman joked about the desire to find out something about Machado shortly after signing Bauer a three-year contract and $ 102 million last month.
Bauer joked that Machado “already cheated on me” by not making the trip.
When the games start to count, Bauer said he will have many chances against him.
“Wait,” Bauer said behind an ironic smile. “It’s going to be a fun year.”