Cleveland Indians: Trevor Bauer and the internet tough guys

Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer had a rough game against the White Sox, and the internet tough guys let him have it.

So far in 2019, Trevor Bauer has been one of the few bright spots for the Cleveland Indians. On a pitching staff that has been riddled by injury and ineffectiveness, Bauer has needed to be a staff ace. He has lived up to his part, posting a 3.42 ERA and a 1.158 WHiP in a league leading 52.2 innings. Bauer has struck out 62 batters, and while his 24 walks are a tad high, he has still been effective.

Yet, even the best pitchers have bad games. That happened to Bauer on Monday against the Chicago White Sox, when he allowed eight runs on ten hits and a walk in five innings. Naturally, that outing brought out the “best” that the internet has to offer – the internet tough guy.

Bauer is one of the more entertaining follows on Twitter. He engages fans and other players, and is forthright and honest in his responses. Unlike Jose Canseco, who is a must follow just to make one feel better about their life choices, Bauer is great at giving an intelligent perspective on the game.

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Unfortunately, his personality and honesty tend to attract these types of people. Even if the threats are not real, and they are just trying to get a rise out of Bauer to get him to say something regrettable, it is still repulsive that people feel that they can get away with such actions. Such is the life of the internet tough guy.

It is one thing to call out a player for their struggles. That is a part of being a fan of a team – everyone gets frustrated when a player or franchise performs poorly. It is a part of being a professional athlete as well, and something that every single player has had to deal with at one point or another in their careers.

But there is a line that should not be crossed. Sadly, that line becomes blurred more and more every day, especially given the current culture and climate in this country. The fact that people think it is perfectly acceptable to make such threats and send those messages to anyone, let alone a baseball player, is utterly pathetic.

Bauer is also not alone in such things. Chances are, every player gets similar messages. The difference is that the Indians pitcher is calling these people out, making sure that their words are known. Hopefully, some action will be taken against them.

Trevor Bauer had a bad game for the Cleveland Indians. Since that happened, the internet tough guy feels they have free reign.