Trevor Bauer’s teammate clarifies criticism of pitcher’s celebration

Trevor Bauer appeared to draw some criticism from one of his new teammates in Japan this week, but the fellow pitcher says the comments he posted on social media were lost in translation.

Bauer signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan after officially being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this year. In a recent video he posted on his YouTube channel, the former Cy Young Award winner encouraged fans of his Yokohama DeNA BayStars to join him in doing his signature sword celebration after strikeouts.

Yasuaki Yamasaki, one of Bauer’s teammates with the BayStars, expressed displeasure over the sword celebration in a tweet on Monday. According to one rough translation, Yamasaki called the celebration “disrespectful” and told Bauer “don’t be an idiot.”

Trevor Bauer’s teammate @19Yasuaki responded to this video:

“Don’t be an idiot. This is disrespectful. There are better ways to go about this.”

(h/t @yakyucosmo) pic.twitter.com/3XE4V7oTrl

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 1, 2023

That translation was apparently not accurate. Marc Sausa, one of Bauer’s public relations reps, said in an email to Larry Brown Sports that Yamasaki’s tweet was directed toward the BayStars, not Bauer. What Yamasaki meant to say is that the team “shouldn’t encourage” the sword celebration. Though, he did also refer to it as “foolishness,” according to the translation Sausa provided.

Yamasaki, a six-time NPB All-Star, tried to smooth things over with another tweet on Tuesday. He shared a photo of him and Bauer standing arm-in-arm.

僕の発信した内容が意図しない形で海外で受け取られ、僕が彼を悪く言うような捉え方をされてしまいました。

バウアーと話して、しっかり気持ちを伝える事が出来ました。

バウアーは一緒に優勝を目指す大切なチームメイトです。#FAMILY pic.twitter.com/TdBdqD4taf

— 山﨑 康晃 (@19Yasuaki) May 2, 2023

Sausa also provided a translation of Yamasaki’s follow-up tweet:

“My message was received by the media in the US in a way that I did not intend, and it was taken as if I was saying something bad about him. After talking with Bauer, I was able to convey my feelings clearly. Bauer is an important teammate with whom I aim to win the championship.”

Either way, it is clear Yamasaki does not approve of the sword celebration and the way Bauer has been promoting it.

Bauer already had a big spat with the Dodgers (who are still paying most of his original $22.5 million salary for the 2023 season) over the circumstances of his release. He is now dealing with drama overseas as well.

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