Trevor Bauer’s ‘extraordinary’ season continues with a Game 1 start in Wild Card Series

One of the phrases that Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson often tells players is that everything they need to know about the big leagues was learned in little league. 

Pitchers need to throw first-pitch strikes, stay ahead in the count and limit walks. Sometimes, it’s best just to keep things simple.

There are a lot of reasons why Trevor Bauer is having the best season of his career and the favorite to win the National League Cy Young. He led the league in ERA (1.73) and hits per nine innings (5.1). But there was one stat that stands out as a key to his success: He’s walked a career-low 2.1 batters per nine innings. His goal at the beginning of the season was keeping that number below 3.0.

Bauer focused on his command in the offseason and again when the sport was on hiatus from March-June. He experimented with different techniques, some he’s kept secret. One thing he practiced was locating his pitches with one eye closed.

“His breaking stuff has been very, very good,” Johnson said. “His fastball, from a command standpoint, has been extraordinary. He’s just really done a good job of all the things that a pitcher needs to do to be successful like get ahead and then when you get to two strikes, figure out how to expand the hitters.”

Sep 4, 2020; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (27) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

 (Photo: Charles LeClaire, Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Bauer will be relying on his command when he takes the mound in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves at noon Wednesday (TV: ESPN). He’ll be facing one of the best offenses in the Major Leagues, which features MVP candidates Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna.

One area where Bauer has excelled, Johnson said, is throwing payoff pitches in full counts. Hitters have a .111 batting average with 27 strikeouts in those situations against Bauer with only eight walks.

“Make them beat me and don’t beat myself,” Bauer said of the Braves. “Limit the walks. Try to execute as many good pitches as possible so I can limit the hits. The less traffic you have on the bases, the better off you usually are, so that’s been the goal for me, really, all year.”

It’s more than just improved command. Bauer loves to compete. He showed his toughness when he struck out 12 and allowed one run in eight innings on short rest in a must-win game against Milwaukee. There were runners on the corners with no outs in the sixth inning and he pitched out of it with three strikeouts, yelling louder after each one.

“It’s the epitome of what type of player he is,” catcher Curt Casali said. “Not only does he want the ball in that situation, but he delivers in that situation. I think the higher you raise the stakes for that guy, the better he pitches. You can’t say that about a lot of guys in this league.”

Said Mike Moustakas: “Every time he grabs the ball, you’re going to get a competitor. You’re going to go out there and see some electricity. It’s been fun to play defense behind him.”

When the Reds had a poor defensive inning in a 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, Bauer lit into his teammates in the dugout before he walked to the tunnel. He’s been to a World Series. He knows the level necessary to win consistently.

The Reds didn’t win a series for a month before winning 12 of their final 16 games.

“For the guys that had been in the postseason before,” Bauer said, “that are here and signed here because we know we have a good team and we expect to make the postseason and have a chance to win a World Series, going through the first month, month-and-a-half, the type of baseball we were playing was really tough.

“The guys who had been there before looked up and said, ‘This is not it. We are not playing the way we know we can and the way we need to, to get to the postseason.’ It was very frustrating, and a lot of people were trying a lot of different things. It got to the point where it’s like, ‘What else can we do?’ Those conversations happened.

“You look at the types of games we were playing and the completeness of it, the contributions we get from the entire roster right now, it looks drastically different than it did three weeks ago. By the skin of our teeth, we figured it out. This is what we’ve been trying to get to all season.”

Beyond Bauer’s special year on the mound, he’s a frequent sounding board for his teammates. Sonny Gray often talks to him after his starts.

“What that guy has done for us this year, has been extraordinary,” Gray said. “He’s also done so much more behind the scenes that I wish you all could see. Not only is he an incredible pitcher; he’s also an incredible teammate. There’s no doubt in mind that Trevor Bauer is the best pitcher in this league.”

Said Casali: “The dude eats, breathes and sleeps baseball. Personally, I can’t do that. But he does and there is a reason why he’s doing what he’s doing. It’s because he devotes his entire life to it. I’m so proud to be his teammate. I’m like giddy just thinking about the fact that I get to catch that guy.”

The Reds’ front office took a gamble when it completed the trade for Bauer last summer. Dick Williams, president of baseball operations, credited scouts and staff that pounded the table for Bauer. The Reds parted with their top prospect, Taylor Trammell, for a pitcher with 1 ½ years on his contract.

Now Bauer will be pitching in the club’s first playoff game in seven seasons.

“Trevor didn’t have the best finish last year coming over under all the circumstances, but you can tell his inner confidence in himself,” Williams said. “He kept telling us that this year was going to be good, that this year was going to be special.”

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