MLB suspends Trevor Bauer for 2 years with no pay

[Murderer's Crow]

Caveat: I have not followed his case at all.

If he wants to quit baseball and go be a sadist with some consensual masochists, whatever (keyword: CONSENSUAL, shitbag). But hiring him in any public facing role is a massive fuck you to any members of that public who happen to be women, survivors of sexual violence or people with a functional moral compass.

I think the case is pretty straight forward, right? They had a consensual relationship where part of their sex life involved being very very rough. During one encounter, he hit her and she followed up with messages saying how much she liked it and wanted more of it. I believe she even said in the texts that she liked blacking out. During their next encounter, Bauer took as a sign to step up his brutality and literally beat the shit out of her and, according to the allegations, continued to have sex with her and punch her while she was unconscious from being hit in the head and face. The courts deemed that given the evidence, they couldn't prove Bauer did any of those things and he denied it as well.

“After a thorough review of all the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” reads the D.A. office’s comments in its declination.


In June of last year, a San Diego woman claimed in her initial request for a temporary restraining order against Bauer that she had two sexual encounters with him at his Pasadena home in 2021, one in April and a second in May.
Among the allegations the woman made in a declaration attached to the request were that Bauer choked her until she was unconscious during sex multiple times; that Bauer sodomized her without her consent; and that Bauer punched her in the face during sex, and elsewhere on her body. She also claimed that she was hospitalized as a result of her second encounter with Bauer.


After the woman was granted the temporary restraining order, Bauer’s agent and attorney, Jon Fetterolf, said in a statement that Bauer “had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the woman] beginning in April 2021.”

Part of the reason why Bauer was acquitted, btw, is because the medical exams didn't reveal trauma to the extent that he was accused.

Ms. Hill sought medical attention a day after the second encounter. An intake form indicated “head and facial trauma,” but a CT scan and MRI revealed no such injuries, according to public records. References to "signs of a basilar skull fracture" from the intake form have since been ruled by Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman to have been “materially misleading.”

 

[Marciano490]

Come on. Guy with a history of misogyny + harassing women on Twitter + these allegations? I worked with Fetterolf too. Actually, when he interviewed me at Williams and Connolly he made a point of bragging how he “stole a girl” from TB12 when they were at Michigan after he found out I was a Pats fan. Which is fucking weird for a white shoe law firm.

So, two pieces of shit concocted an argument around “kink shaming” and zones of privacy and people are buying into it for whatever reason.

Do people know how hard it is to choke or knock someone out? The amount of aggression and lack of concern for another’s safety? I hate these exercises where people do objectively bad things and then there’s twists and pretzels to be like oh maybe the pro athlete with a long history of shitty behavior towards women and all these horrible accusations just likes weird sex and the woman who’s saying I didn’t want this, well maybe she actually did and how was Trevor supposed to know where the line was?

 

[Gdiguy]

Come on. Guy with a history of misogyny + harassing women on Twitter + these allegations? I worked with Fetterolf too. Actually, when he interviewed me at Williams and Connolly he made a point of bragging how he “stole a girl” from TB12 when they were at Michigan after he found out I was a Pats fan. Which is fucking weird for a white shoe law firm.

So, two pieces of shit concocted an argument around “kink shaming” and zones of privacy and people are buying into it for whatever reason.

Do people know how hard it is to choke or knock someone out? The amount of aggression and lack of concern for another’s safety? I hate these exercises where people do objectively bad things and then there’s twists and pretzels to be like oh maybe the pro athlete with a long history of shitty behavior towards women and all these horrible accusations just likes weird sex and the woman who’s saying I didn’t want this, well maybe she actually did and how was Trevor supposed to know where the line was?

I mean, I can understand the argument from a judicial system that there's enough questions here that in the interests of not throwing innocent people in jail, charges aren't supported

That doesn't preclude me personally from believing it's clear he's a piece of garbage and I have zero interest in supporting a team that wants to run him out there

 

[Bergs]

I mean, I can understand the argument from a judicial system that there's enough questions here that in the interests of not throwing innocent people in jail, charges aren't supported

That doesn't preclude me personally from believing it's clear he's a piece of garbage and I have zero interest in supporting a team that wants to run him out there

This.

 

[glennhoffmania]

Bauer has been reinstated after a neutral arbitrator reduced his suspension to 194 games, down from 324 games. He'll miss the first 50 games next season and is then eligible to return:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2022-12-22/trevor-bauer-suspension-reduced-dodgers-rob-manfred


I have to think the Dodgers will release him. Wouldn't surprise me if he ends up out here if no MLB teams will touch him, a la Roberto Osuna.

Was this updated since it was posted? Why would LA being able to get out of paying him? I don't see that line in the link now.

 

[voidfunkt]

Assuming he can still pitch at an elite level I'd take the chance. But I think I'd definitely want ownership and business side to weigh in on that decision... if you think he's the guy that prints you a World Series then do it and deal with the fallout. If he's not that guy... stay away, the distraction isn't worth it.

I totally expect he will end up somewhere at some point. He feels like a future Met because I don't think Steve Cohen gives a damn about the off the field stuff.

 

[Marciano490]

Let me be clearer - if you’re okay signing someone who’s committed acts of violence against women to make your sport team better, you’re a bad person and part of the problem. Twist yourself all you want about second chances and our pristine justice system that never privileges rich, famous dudes - like Deshaun Watson this year - not returning a criminal conviction.

This is rape culture. Sports whitewashes this shit and then it gets in our blood and veins and makes us all worse. Like fuck, @voidfunkt go buy a Bauer jersey and wear it down the street and maybe you’ll get some feedback about how gross it is to people that you’d want to pay and root for that guy, even if you convince yourself it’s a back door rooting interest because you really just care about the team?

And, how should any woman or little girl feel at Fenway when a bunch of people get up to cheer for a Bauer strikeout? Is that messaging worth a few more wins or even a World Series?

 

[soxhop411]

Let me be clearer - if you’re okay signing someone who’s committed acts of violence against women to make your sport team better, you’re a bad person and part of the problem. Twist yourself all you want about second chances and our pristine justice system that never privileges rich, famous dudes - like Deshaun Watson this year - not returning a criminal conviction.

This is rape culture. Sports whitewashes this shit and then it gets in our blood and veins and makes us all worse. Like fuck, @voidfunkt go buy a Bauer jersey and wear it down the street and maybe you’ll get some feedback about how gross it is to people that you’d want to pay and root for that guy, even if you convince yourself it’s a back door rooting interest because you really just care about the team?

And, how should any woman or little girl feel at Fenway when a bunch of people get up to cheer for a Bauer strikeout? Is that messaging worth a few more wins or even a World Series?

100% with you.. As I said upthread. this would be a "red line" for me in terms of fandom... If the sox signed Bauer, I would be done with the team. For good... I dont care how good a player you are, I will not root for you just because you play for my favorite team..

 

[Minneapolis Millers]

Let me be clearer - if you’re okay signing someone who’s committed acts of violence against women to make your sport team better, you’re a bad person and part of the problem. Twist yourself all you want about second chances and our pristine justice system that never privileges rich, famous dudes - like Deshaun Watson this year - not returning a criminal conviction.

This is rape culture. Sports whitewashes this shit and then it gets in our blood and veins and makes us all worse. Like fuck, @voidfunkt go buy a Bauer jersey and wear it down the street and maybe you’ll get some feedback about how gross it is to people that you’d want to pay and root for that guy, even if you convince yourself it’s a back door rooting interest because you really just care about the team?

And, how should any woman or little girl feel at Fenway when a bunch of people get up to cheer for a Bauer strikeout? Is that messaging worth a few more wins or even a World Series?

Agree 100%. There are various lines that decent people don’t cross, even if crossing them doesn’t lead to criminal prosecution. Bauer crossed one of those lines. Is he going to prison? No. Doesn’t mean he should be put back on the stage and feted by (mostly male, in this case) fans. Let him drive a bus.

I’d be angry if I bought tickets to a Sox game only to find out this awful human being was pitching for us. I don’t want to have to cheer for him. This is all supposed to be fun. Making this piece of crap person a central part of the sports team I root for is the exact opposite of fun.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

Let me be clearer - if you’re okay signing someone who’s committed acts of violence against women to make your sport team better, you’re a bad person and part of the problem. Twist yourself all you want about second chances and our pristine justice system that never privileges rich, famous dudes - like Deshaun Watson this year - not returning a criminal conviction.

This is rape culture. Sports whitewashes this shit and then it gets in our blood and veins and makes us all worse. Like fuck, @voidfunkt go buy a Bauer jersey and wear it down the street and maybe you’ll get some feedback about how gross it is to people that you’d want to pay and root for that guy, even if you convince yourself it’s a back door rooting interest because you really just care about the team?

And, how should any woman or little girl feel at Fenway when a bunch of people get up to cheer for a Bauer strikeout? Is that messaging worth a few more wins or even a World Series?

I think a lot of the people who are advocating for signing him or moving on don't know the details beyond "he was innocent, a court looked at it, and the guy hasn't played for 2 seasons." Like, 80% of fans don't even know who Trevor Bauer is. The rest of them can hardly be expected to read the details of court filings and probably get half their news from instagram barstool clips. Everything you said is impossible to disagree with in your first sentence, but hopefully nobody here both believes Bauer did all of these things and also wants him to play for their team so they could get like 2.5 more wins.

 

[InstaFace]

I'll say that it's not really clear to me that Bauer committed any great transgressions with his choice of sexual activity, either legally or morally. The nature of what he's into means that any miscommunication can have an outsize impact, and he clearly wasn't sensitive to that. But while initial articles spoke of "maybe fractured her skull", that doesn't seem to have been confirmed (if I'm wrong about that, please correct me), and other reported details seem to be short of grievous bodily harm. I can believe the accuser is sincere in everything she alleged, and still see room for there to be truth in the middle of their two accounts / interpretations, around what was consented-to, and when, and under what circumstances. Compared to most domestic-violence and sexual-assault situations (which are all-too-common with athletes), this one is a lot more challenging to come to a moral certainty about, and I think there's a range of opinions on it that are probably reasonable.

HOWEVER, what is clear to me is two things:

(1) His handling of this and previous incidents make clear that he's a shitbag. Talking crap about accusers publicly, trying to intimidate them, brigading people online to harass them, and clearly not learning from previous incidents of this nature. The guy is a loose cannon, gleefully walking right on the hazy boundary of what a society and its laws will tolerate, with the arrogance of an athlete celebrity, and his actions together ought to turn one's stomach.

(2) Consequently, there's no value he could bring to a team on the field that would outweigh the damage he'd do to the team's reputation, fanbase, awkward questions, etc. He might have a right to remain at-liberty (...this time), but he has no right to be a public figure in sports. And MLB and its owners are likewise well-justified to want him nowhere near their billion-dollar franchises, and the MLBPA to not want to go to the mat for him, because he risks everyone's paychecks to a degree. The next-player-up who can take his spot on a roster will be a perfectly good ballplayer, he's not special enough to get a pass, and this is too big a deal for even a very-special player to get a pass on. This ain't Dennis Rodman blowing off steam in Las Vegas for a weekend.

I will be very surprised if the Dodgers don't release him.

 

[Marciano490]

I think a lot of the people who are advocating for signing him or moving on don't know the details beyond "he was innocent, a court looked at it, and the guy hasn't played for 2 seasons." Like, 80% of fans don't even know who Trevor Bauer is. The rest of them can hardly be expected to read the details of court filings and probably get half their news from instagram barstool clips. Everything you said is impossible to disagree with in your first sentence, but hopefully nobody here both believes Bauer did all of these things and also wants him to play for their team so they could get like 2.5 more wins.

Failure to do five minutes of reading before advocating for a position on something like this is no better. It speaks to the same prioritization of winning Boston’s 12th(?) championship in 22 years over all the many, many negatives associated with signing Bauer. It’s Cleveland Browns shit, Kansas City Chiefs shit.

 

[Marciano490]

I'll say that it's not really clear to me that Bauer committed any great transgressions with his choice of sexual activity, either legally or morally. The nature of what he's into means that any miscommunication can have an outsize impact, and he clearly wasn't sensitive to that. But while initial articles spoke of "maybe fractured her skull", that doesn't seem to have been confirmed (if I'm wrong about that, please correct me), and other reported details seem to be short of grievous bodily harm. I can believe the accuser is sincere in everything she alleged, and still see room for there to be truth in the middle of their two accounts / interpretations, around what was consented-to, and when, and under what circumstances. Compared to most domestic-violence and sexual-assault situations (which are all-too-common with athletes), this one is a lot more challenging to come to a moral certainty about, and I think there's a range of opinions on it that are probably reasonable.

HOWEVER, what is clear to me is two things:

(1) His handling of this and previous incidents make clear that he's a shitbag. Talking crap about accusers publicly, trying to intimidate them, brigading people online to harass them, and clearly not learning from previous incidents of this nature. The guy is a loose cannon, gleefully walking right on the hazy boundary of what a society and its laws will tolerate, with the arrogance of an athlete celebrity, and his actions together ought to turn one's stomach.

(2) Consequently, there's no value he could bring to a team on the field that would outweigh the damage he'd do to the team's reputation, fanbase, awkward questions, etc. He might have a right to remain at-liberty (...this time), but he has no right to be a public figure in sports. And MLB and its owners are likewise well-justified to want him nowhere near their billion-dollar franchises, and the MLBPA to not want to go to the mat for him, because he risks everyone's paychecks to a degree. The next-player-up who can take his spot on a roster will be a perfectly good ballplayer, he's not special enough to get a pass, and this is too big a deal for even a very-special player to get a pass on. This ain't Dennis Rodman blowing off steam in Las Vegas for a weekend.

I will be very surprised if the Dodgers don't release him.

I know you have me on block, but it’s not a “choice of sexual activity” when the other person involved says it wasn’t. You’re buying into his story when the other volitional adult in the situation says she didn’t want this. But yeah let’s think this through, and be fair to Trevor, because maybe it was a misunderstanding and maybe he’s just a really decent guy - despite overwhelming evidence he hates women - and it was just a little mixup between lovers. This line of thinking is also part of the problem. Why is it so scary to say someone’s bad and they shouldn’t make millions being famous anymore?

 

[opes]

Let me be clearer - if you’re okay signing someone who’s committed acts of violence against women to make your sport team better, you’re a bad person and part of the problem. Twist yourself all you want about second chances and our pristine justice system that never privileges rich, famous dudes - like Deshaun Watson this year - not returning a criminal conviction.

This is rape culture. Sports whitewashes this shit and then it gets in our blood and veins and makes us all worse. Like fuck, @voidfunkt go buy a Bauer jersey and wear it down the street and maybe you’ll get some feedback about how gross it is to people that you’d want to pay and root for that guy, even if you convince yourself it’s a back door rooting interest because you really just care about the team?

And, how should any woman or little girl feel at Fenway when a bunch of people get up to cheer for a Bauer strikeout? Is that messaging worth a few more wins or even a World Series?

And this bolded part is what the main point of all this arguing should be. If you are cool with glossing over this fact, put yourself in the position of a woman/girl that you know and love. I'm not saying you are a bad person for leaning the other way of this argument. I'm saying I would absolutely not want to have to explain to my niece why Bauer or other male abusers get a pass because they can throw a baseball really really good. What do you say to her question? How can you with a straight face say, well he wasn't convicted in court and only a couple women reported him so its not really that bad at all.

 

[RG33]

It is really hard to have any real knowledge of this situation to me, and then use any qualifying language about Bauer or his actions with this woman.

Others have said it, but the stench that this would bring to any organization would be too much for me to take as a fan, and I would be done.

While comments about how women would react and how I would try to explain to my daughters all ring true to me, I also sadly think there would be a level of empowerment that would come with signing this asshole from the “proud to be deplorable!” crowd that has risen here in the last decade. Misogynists of the world, unite!

I hope he never throws another pitch in MLB.

 

[nattysez]

Meanwhile in the NBA....

The Charlotte Hornets and restricted free agent forward Miles Bridges are gathering traction in talks on a new deal, and optimism exists that an agreement could come in the near future, sources told ESPN on Friday.

The sooner Bridges and the Hornets can reach a deal, the sooner he can seemingly start serving an NBA suspension expected to be handed down for his role in an offseason domestic violence case. Bridges, who was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children in June 2022, pleaded no contest to a felony charge in November and received a sentence of three years of probation and no jail time.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35311459/talks-hornets-miles-bridges-new-deal-gathering-traction

 

[snowmanny]

Failure to do five minutes of reading before advocating for a position on something like this is no better. It speaks to the same prioritization of winning Boston’s 12th(?) championship in 22 years over all the many, many negatives associated with signing Bauer. It’s Cleveland Browns shit, Kansas City Chiefs shit.

It would be the thirteenth. But maybe that was for effect. Maybe not.

Can’t imagine the Red Sox signing him. The uproar would be immense.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

Meanwhile in the NBA....



https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35311459/talks-hornets-miles-bridges-new-deal-gathering-traction

And therein lies part of the big problem with Bauer. Every other athlete winds up playing again. Why not him? Domingo German smacked his girlfriend in front of the damn team.

We all suck really badly at this. Someone pleads no contest how are they playing? You could at least tell yourself you believe Bauer, but how are we giving passes to everyone else who admits it.

 

[gammoseditor]

Trevor Bauer has been released. Dodgers are eating $22.5 million.

View: https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1611516525428490240?s=46&t=W4y8Awb1_4WAiEyluw_F6w

 

[jmcc5400]

Just catching up with this thread with the news of the Dodgers releasing Bauer. Strong work by @Marciano490 in here - I agree with everything he's said on this.

 

[nvalvo]

Bravo to the Dodgers.

 

[JOBU]

The answer is “hell no” before anyone dumb enough asks.

 

[TheAOE]

I think the only team that has alienated its fanbase so bad to the point where they could reasonably take Bauer on at major league min and not have to deal with fan revolt is the Oakland A's.

Hell it might even increase attendance.

 

[Marciano490]

I don’t follow as close as most here, but does Beane have a history of signing shitheads as a market inefficiency?

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

The answer is “hell no” before anyone dumb enough asks.

was that Cam Neely on line 2?

 

[Deweys New Stance]

Bravo to the Dodgers.

They're doing the right thing here, but don't give them too much credit. There was plenty of evidence that he was a misogynist creep, and an all-around shitty human being, when they signed him. But hey, gotta show the fanbase that you're fully committed to winning

 

[Blizzard of 1978]

They're doing the right thing here, but don't give them too much credit. There was plenty of evidence that he was a misogynist creep, and an all-around shitty human being, when they signed him. But hey, gotta show the fanbase that you're fully committed to winning

Agreed. I remember Andrew Friedman the Dodgers President of baseball operations saying the Dodgers did their due diligence when they signed him about Bauer's social media bullying before the other stuff came up. Apparently, their due diligence was not as good as they thought.

 

[nvalvo]

They're doing the right thing here, but don't give them too much credit. There was plenty of evidence that he was a misogynist creep, and an all-around shitty human being, when they signed him. But hey, gotta show the fanbase that you're fully committed to winning

My hope is that a bunch of front office dudes just learned that that was a very costly fuckup.

 

[Red Right Ankle]

I think the only team that has alienated its fanbase so bad to the point where they could reasonably take Bauer on at major league min and not have to deal with fan revolt is the Oakland A's.

Hell it might even increase attendance.

Maybe the Phillies sign him to a 1 day so the fans can chuck batteries at his fucking head.

 

[mauidano]

Trevor Bauer as expected is a Free Agent as of today.

No takers for a trade (obviously) and the Dodgers are on the hook for $22.5 million unless another team signs him and all it costs that team is the MLB minimum salary of $750,000. The Dodgers will pay the remaining $21.75 MM.

 

[Adirondack jack]

Sure wish baseball players were held to the same standards as other sports (looking at you, specifically, NFL...see the 'roids and domestic violence-- for the most part).

Without knowing all the publicly available released info on Bauer's legal situation, I do know enough about it, to know, I myself do not want to vouch for the guys character or argue on his behalf. But having said that, if I were a GM on the hot seat and had a $200+ million dollar payroll and could sign this guy for the league minimum he's gotta be on the radar.

There isn't a pitching staff in the league unimproved with Bauer's on-the-field addition, so I gotta believe someone signs him for one reason or another.

 

[CarolinaBeerGuy]

Sure wish baseball players were held to the same standards as other sports (looking at you, specifically, NFL...see the 'roids and domestic violence-- for the most part).

Without knowing all the publicly available released info on Bauer's legal situation, I do know enough about it, to know, I myself do not want to vouch for the guys character or argue on his behalf. But having said that, if I were a GM on the hot seat and had a $200+ million dollar payroll and could sign this guy for the league minimum he's gotta be on the radar.

There isn't a pitching staff in the league unimproved with Bauer's on-the-field addition, so I gotta believe someone signs him for one reason or another.

Sarcasm? My detector may be broken.

 

[Myt1]

I think the case is pretty straight forward, right? They had a consensual relationship where part of their sex life involved being very very rough. During one encounter, he hit her and she followed up with messages saying how much she liked it and wanted more of it. I believe she even said in the texts that she liked blacking out. During their next encounter, Bauer took as a sign to step up his brutality and literally beat the shit out of her and, according to the allegations, continued to have sex with her and punch her while she was unconscious from being hit in the head and face. The courts deemed that given the evidence, they couldn't prove Bauer did any of those things and he denied it as well.

Part of the reason why Bauer was acquitted, btw, is because the medical exams didn't reveal trauma to the extent that he was accused.

He wasn’t tried, let alone acquitted, right?

 

[Murderer's Crow]

He wasn’t tried, let alone acquitted, right?

No criminal charges were filed on the basis of a lack of evidence, which is what I was specifically referring to.

For the record here, I was only trying to summarize the basics of what happened but I understand your point that my words made it appear as if there was a criminal trial and he was found innocent.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianred/2022/02/08/trevor-bauers-criminal-case-concludes-with-no-charges-filed-against-him-mlb-investigation-still-open/?sh=b67518c2beec

 

[Wingack]

I am going to predict the Rays scoop him up.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

I am going to predict the Rays scoop him up.

Maybe if he has an identity change and shows up with a new look and name.

 

[Max Power]

The Pitching Machine?

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

The Pitching Machine?

Well played!

 

[Yaz4Ever]

Someone somewhere will pick him up at the league minimum. I would be shocked if it were us, but someone will sign him eventually. There will likely be extra character clauses or whatever is necessary to sugarcoat it for their fanbase and he'll be kept on a short leash (which based on his extracurriculars, he may like). He's a premium arm that someone will justify signing for $700k or so.

 

[jon abbey]

he'll be kept on a short leash (which based on his extracurriculars, he may like).

 

[Sad Sam Jones]

I can't see him ever holding an apologetic press conference or admitting he did anything wrong, let alone doing the whole dog and pony show of remorse. He won't go to a team that makes that a condition of his signing and he's never been one to give generic canned or filtered responses, so he'd have to stick to "no comment" for the rest of his career or he'll just get himself into more trouble. It won't surprise me if he goes overseas for a couple of years and then comes back after everyone has forgotten the details and that he avoided the whole repentance routine.

 

[Marciano490]

The Pitching Machine?

If this is an 8mm reference I’m in awe.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

If this is an 8mm reference I’m in awe.

I took it as a 1980s WWF reference

 

[Spelunker]

I took it as a 1980s WWF reference

The fact that it works for both- and that one reinforces the other- is what makes it so good

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I honestly don't see a MLB team signing him. I expect he'll go overseas to pitch.

 

[Marciano490]

How are the professional leagues in Russia and North Korea?

 

[ShaneTrot]

He is such an asshole I wonder if he will sue MLB. Sure would be a weird thing for the MLBPA.

 

[jon abbey]

View: https://twitter.com/highheatstats/status/1615374134338265091?s=46&t=LMFAHUFg3v-ZPR-n-Qcv2A

 

[AlNipper49]

He will play indy and then sign a contract at the deadline that would be 40% more than he would get this offseason. That’s what I’d tell him to do if I were his agent.

 

[Marciano490]

He will play indy and then sign a contract at the deadline that would be 40% more than he would get this offseason. That’s what I’d tell him to do if I were his agent.

Yeah maybe they’ll do one of those wacky minor league promotions, change the name to the Elk Horn Skull Smashers and give out cracked bobble heads when Trevor pitches.