Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer feeds off booing Giants fans, riles up crowd in win
Trevor Bauer got his first taste of the Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants rivalry on Friday night as fans showered him with boos at Oracle Park.
The reigning Cy Young winner cupped his hand around his right ear before raising his arms to the sky, begging for fans to continue booing him as he walked to the dugout in the seventh inning.
The Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1 in their first meeting of the season, and Bauer admitted after the game that he fully immersed himself in the rivalry.
"They're gonna hate me anyway, so might as well lean into it," Bauer said of the fans at Oracle Park, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "I like when the crowd's into it. It makes the moment feel bigger, and I perform better in those moments. It just feeds me."
Bauer certainly did immerse himself in the experience. Fans even took the opportunity to create a side-by-side video of Bauer and the late Tommy Lasorda begging for boos from Giants fans during his last game at Candlestick Park in the mid-1990s.
Bauer allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings, striking out 11 batters and walking four. He lowered his ERA to 1.98 through his first 10 starts with the Dodgers.
Although the Dodgers won, they're still third in the NL West behind the Giants and San Diego Padres due to a slide earlier in the season. However, they're just one game behind both of those clubs for first in the division with plenty of time left in the season.
More must-reads: