Trevor Bauer on decision to remove him from no-hitter: 'I knew it was probably time to come out'
Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer isn’t mad about being taken out of a no-hitter after seven innings. The 28-year-old Bauer actually agreed with the decision, telling reporters “I knew it was probably time to come out” after the game.
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While Bauer had not given up any hits, he wasn’t really cruising through the game either. Bauer struggled with his control, giving up six walks. He was able to pitch around those walks by striking out eight batters, but that left his pitch count high at the end of the seventh. Bauer sat at 117 pitches with six outs to go.
Had it been deeper in the season, he might have been given the chance to keep pitching. But in his second start, it wasn’t going to happen, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com.
“I knew it was probably time to come out,” said Bauer. “That being said, I think my velo was higher in the last inning than all the other innings. I could be wrong on that, but it didn’t drop off at all.
“My stuff was sharp. So yeah, had I gone back out, I feel like I would have gotten it, too. But it’s a long season. And we’re in the second week of it. Yeah, I’m fine with it.”
Bauer was removed from the contest after seven no-hit innings. Cleveland lost the team no-hitter in the ninth, but went on to win the game 4-1.
While it’s become far more common for managers to remove pitchers from no-hitters these days, there’s always a bigger risk when it involves taking out a veteran pitcher.
A young inexperienced player like Baltimore Orioles pitcher David Hess isn’t going to chew out his manager for making that call. He might slyly smile about the decision, but he won’t cause a scene.
With a veteran like Bauer, who was known early in his career for his exhausting throwing program, it can be more challenging.
This time around, it worked out. All parties agreed taking out Bauer was the right decision.
But if Bauer finds himself in a similar situation in June, taking him out of a no-hitter before he hits 150 pitches could lead to some less amenable quotes.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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