Duck Yeah: Trevor Bauer Is Must-See on Long Island

Every Sunday here at Kiner’s Korner, we dust off the attic of Mets history and pull down a “Forgotten Face of Flushing.” Some wore the uniform for years. Others barely had time to find the clubhouse spread before disappearing into baseball obscurity.

But this week is different.

Over and above our Derek Bell forgotten Met piece here is one that's about an “Almost Face of Flushing.” A player who, for a brief, dizzying moment in February of 2021, felt like he was about to be the next big name in Queens… until he wasn’t.

And like most things involving Trevor Bauer, the story didn’t exactly follow a straight line.

A Met for a fleeting moment—somewhere between a click, a rumor, and a collective gasp—on February 5, 2021.

If you remember that weekend, you remember the emotional rollercoaster. Mets fans, still buzzing from a new owner with deep pockets and even deeper ambition, all week long tweets about the Mets being frontrunners in the Bauer free agency sweepstakes, and then suddenly something curious: Bauer-branded Mets merchandise popping up online on Bauers website. Jerseys. Gear. The works. It felt real. Too real.

And then… poof.

The merchandise vanished, and not long after, Bauer announced he was headed west to the Dodgers. By Sunday night, as the Super Bowl wound down and the guacamole settled, Bauer addressed Mets fans directly. He admitted the rollout had gone sideways—that a link went live before any decision had actually been finalized, creating confusion that spread faster than a Pete Alonso line drive. He insisted there was no intention to mislead or toy with a fan base that, as he noted, had shown passion all winter long. He took responsibility for the mix-up and acknowledged the moment was, in his own words, both embarrassing and emotional. He even added, with a bit of edge, that he looked forward to pitching at Citi Field someday—fully expecting the reception might not be all cheers.

And just like that, Trevor Bauer became a trivia answer in Mets lore.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Not even close.

What followed was less a chapter and more a legal encyclopedia. Bauer’s career took a dramatic turn amid serious allegations in 2021 that led to a record-setting suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy—initially 324 games, later reduced to 194. He was released by the Dodgers in 2023 and has not pitched in Major League Baseball since. It’s important to note Bauer has consistently denied any non-consensual conduct and has spent years fighting various legal battles. Some of those cases have swung in his favor, including a 2025 judgment awarding him damages after a settlement violation by one accuser, while another case involving alleged fraud and extortion resulted in criminal charges against the accuser. The full picture is complicated, contentious, and still debated across the sport.

What is not debated? The man can still pitch.

After leaving MLB, Bauer took his talents on a global baseball odyssey that would make Crash Davis proud. In 2023, he resurfaced in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, posting a strong 10–4 record with a 2.76 ERA and earning All-Star honors. In 2024, he headed to Mexico and turned the league into his personal pitching lab—striking out hitters at a historic rate, tossing a 19-strikeout game, and finishing 10–0 with a 2.48 ERA. Oh, and he won Pitcher of the Year. Because of course he did.

There were hurdles—health issues, including a frightening bout with Guillain–Barré syndrome—but Bauer returned, dominated in the playoffs, and helped deliver a championship.

By 2025, he was back in Japan. By 2026, he was… in Central Islip.

Yes, Long Island.

Because baseball, like a good Mets season, rarely follows a straight line.

On April 2, 2026, Bauer signed with the Long Island Ducks, and within weeks, he gave the Atlantic League something it won’t forget. On April 26, he tossed a seven-inning no-hitter—the third in franchise history—retiring 20 of 21 batters and barely breaking a sweat. It was vintage Bauer: efficient, dominant, and just a little theatrical.

Then came Saturday night.

In front of a packed house of 6,146 at Fairfield Properties Ballpark, Bauer took the mound against the Lexington Legends—and yes, against Peyton Glavine, son of Hall of Famer (and former Met) Tom Glavine. Somewhere, Mets fans felt the universe bend just a little.

Bauer was electric again: six innings, one run, ten strikeouts, no walks. He pounded the zone, threw 101 pitches, and looked every bit like the Cy Young winner from 2020. The Ducks rolled to a 6–1 win, backed by a five-run fifth inning, but the story—as it often is these days—was Bauer.

After the game, I was part of the media scrum where Bauer, equal parts pitcher and philosopher, broke it all down.

“I thought I threw pretty well tonight,” he said. “Velocity was up. Touched at least 98… got my double-digit punchouts, which was the goal.”

He even mixed in some sidearm work—because why not?

“Threw 94 from sidearm, which was kind of cool.”

At one point, Bauer admitted he’d been dealing with neck discomfort early in the game, unable to fully turn his head. And then, in peak Bauer fashion, he found the cure.

“By the end of the second, I was mad enough at the umpire that I stopped feeling it.”

You can’t make this stuff up.

That edge, that emotion—it’s part of the package.

“I pitch better when I’m mad and angry,” he explained. “It kind of locks me in… when I don’t have any emotion, that’s when I’m at my worst.”

But there’s another layer to Bauer now—something he calls “content mode.”

Yes, content mode.

“I can pretty easily flip between content mode and competition mode,” he said. “Most of the time this season I’ve been in content mode… but in big situations, I flip into competition mode.”

It sounds like something out of a video game, but in Bauer’s world, it works. He’s mic’d up, interacting with fans, explaining pitch sequences in real time. It’s part pitching performance, part master class, part YouTube series.

“I really enjoy making content for the fans,” he said. “Letting the next generation hear exactly what’s going through my head… so they don’t feel like big leaguers are some separate entity.”

And here’s the thing—you watch him, you listen to him, and you get it. He’s engaging. He’s thoughtful. He’s… likable.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room.

In a game starving for quality starting pitching—where teams treat five solid innings like a vintage bottle of wine—it is, at the very least, curious that no Major League club has taken a chance on Bauer. The talent is evident. The performance, even now, is undeniable. The baggage? That’s for teams to weigh, and clearly, they have.

But on Long Island, none of that seems to matter for nine innings every fifth day.

Here, he’s a show.

“The fans have been awesome,” Bauer said. “People are traveling from all over the Northeast… I’m just trying to put on a good performance and make it fun.”

And they are coming—from Vermont, from across New York, from anywhere within driving distance of a radar gun and a curiosity.

So here’s a thought.

Until Gerrit Cole returns from Tommy John surgery later this season, there is exactly one active Cy Young Award winner taking the mound in the New York tri-state area.

He pitches in Central Islip.

Not the Bronx. Not Queens.

Long Island.

And if that doesn’t at least make you curious enough to grab a ticket, well… you might be missing the most fascinating “Almost Face of Flushing” story that never quite was.

Here is the complete post game with Trevor Bauer: