Less than a season was enough for Trevor Bauer to become a legend in the Mexican Baseball League. With a dazzling performance, Bauer broke the record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in a nine-inning game, recording 19 strikeouts against the Guerreros de Oaxaca . This achievement not only highlights his incredible talent, but also makes us question why he hasn’t made it to the Major Leagues.
The historic moment occurred at the Eduardo Vasconcelos Stadium. From the first inning, he began to show his dominance with strikeouts against Reynaldo Rodríguez and the feared Kyle Martin. His impressive streak outing continued until the last out of his performance, a strikeout against Gabriel Lino in for second out of the eighth inning with which he broke the record of 18 strikeouts shared by three baseball legends: Hall of Famer Martín Dihigo (August 5, 1939), Lino Donoso (March 21, 1951), and Ricardo Sandate (May 6, 1974).
Bauer dethroned a historic mark set by emblematic figures of Cuban baseball. Martín Dihigo, in particular, is a legend of Cuban sports and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dihigo set his record more than 80 years ago, underscoring the magnitude of Bauer’s feat. Before breaking the LMB record, Bauer had already made history with the Mexico City Diablos Rojos. In the seventh inning, with a strikeout to Pedro Castellano, he surpassed the team’s previous record for most strikeouts by a pitcher, set by Enrique Romo in 1976 with 15 strikeouts.
Bauer’s accomplishment not only exceeded this mark but also contributed to a collective record for most strikeouts by a team in a nine-inning game, reaching a total of 20 strikeouts, with Bauer fanning 19 and Cuban-American Jimmy Yacabonis striking out the last batter to end . This achievement places Bauer in the laurels Mexican baseball history. On the season where he already boasts an impressive record of 9-0, an ERA of 1.56, and 102 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. These numbers highlight his absolute dominance on the mound and his path towards winning pitching’s Triple Crown in the Mexican league.
However, Bauer’s feat also sparks a debate about his current situation in professional baseball. Despite his evident talent and stellar performance, Bauer remains outside of Major League Baseball. Following his suspension by MLB, he has continued to showcase exceptional gameplay between stints in Japan, Mexico, and Spring Training, amassing a combined record of 20-4, with 269 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.21 over 232 innings pitched since then. The controversy and reasons behind his absence from MLB raise questions about administrative decisions within the Major Leagues.
THE 19 STRIKEOUTS BY TREVOR BAUER
1 First inning – Reynaldo Rodríguez
2 First inning – Kyle Martin
3 Second inning – Gabriel Lino
4 Second inning – José Carlos Ureña
5 Third inning – Pedro Castellano
6 Third inning – Jorge Flores
7 Third inning – Alexi Amarista
8 Fourth inning – Gabriel Lino
9 Fourth inning – Roberto Ramos
10 Fourth inning – José Carlos Ureña
11 Fifth inning – Pedro Castellano
12 Fifth inning – Jorge Flores
13 Fifth inning – Yonathan Daza
14 Sixth inning – Kyle Martin
15 Seventh inning – Roberto Ramos
16 Seventh inning – Pedro Castellano*
17 Eighth inning – Yonathan Daza
18 Eighth inning – Alexi Amarista**
19 Ninth inning – Gabriel Lino***
*Strikeout to tie the team record
**Strikeout to tie the LMB record
***Strikeout to break the LMB record