Trevor Bauer’s 2019 exit from Cleveland wasn’t just a roster move-it was the culmination of a boiling point that played out in front of a stunned crowd in Kansas City.
So, um Bauer is really reaaaaaally unhappy. Holy cow. 😬#AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/TJDh6ynMOu
— FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City (@FanDuelSN_KC) July 28, 2019
Back in 2018, Bauer had earned his first and only All-Star nod while pitching for Cleveland. He was dealing that season, flashing the kind of stuff that had long intrigued scouts and frustrated hitters. But just a year later, things took a dramatic turn.
On July 28, 2019, during a rough outing against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Bauer let his emotions get the best of him. After being pulled from the game, he turned toward the outfield and, in a moment that instantly went viral, launched the baseball over the center field fence. It wasn’t just a show of frustration-it was a moment that crossed a line, and everyone in the ballpark, including his manager, knew it.
Terry Francona, who was managing Cleveland at the time, didn’t mince words-or actions. He stormed out of the dugout and yanked Bauer from the game immediately.
But it turns out that what happened behind the scenes was just as intense. Speaking recently on The Mo Vaughn Podcast, Francona opened up about the aftermath of that moment, revealing just how heated things got.
“I was yelling at him so hard down behind the dugout, I started getting a pain in my neck,” Francona recalled. “And I thought, ‘Oh my God, I'm having a heart attack.’
So I walked away, and he kind of stood there and looked at me, like, ‘Are you done? Are you not done?
Are you gonna yell?’ … I just walked away because I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
That’s not just a manager dealing with a player-it’s a guy who’s poured everything into his team, suddenly confronting a moment that threatened to unravel it.
To his credit, Bauer didn’t dodge responsibility. After the game, he owned up to the outburst and issued a public apology.
“First and foremost, I owe a sincere apology to all of my teammates, my coaching staff, the organization and all of our fans for how I conducted myself today,” Bauer said. “It’s unbecoming.
It was childish, unprofessional. There’s no place for it in the game.
I’m happy it didn’t result in any physical injury for anybody else. I realize I put people in danger.”
That would be Bauer’s final appearance in a Cleveland uniform. Within days, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the trade deadline, marking the end of a volatile but undeniably talented chapter in his career.
Francona, who managed Cleveland through 2023 and now leads the Reds, has seen his fair share of fiery personalities. But that July day in Kansas City remains one of the most unforgettable moments of his managerial career-not just because of what happened on the field, but because of how close it came to boiling over off it.
Moments like these are reminders that baseball, for all its stats and structure, is still an emotional game. And sometimes, those emotions spill over in ways that leave a lasting mark.
Tito telling us how Trevor Bauer throwing the ball over the CF wall almost killed him is so damn funny 😂
— Will Burge (@WillBurge) February 11, 2026
The whole story and more on tomorrow episode of The Mo Vaughn Podcast. One of the best episodes yet!https://t.co/lNVByd6qUX pic.twitter.com/KIRP8z4Bct