Trevor Bauer's hobby might end up playing a significant role in the outcome of the American League Championship Series.
The Indians pitcher needed stitches to close a laceration on his pinky finger, the team announced Friday — while neglecting to mention how he suffered the injury.
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Turns out, Bauer cut his finger while attempting to repair a drone, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told WTAM.
The Indians had been set to start Bauer against the Blue Jays in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon, but he'll get the ball Monday night in Game 3 instead. Josh Tomlin, who had been slated for Game 3, will move up and start Saturday.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona was a bit surprised by the news.
Francona: “We’ve all, at some point, probably had drone-related problems.”
— (((Jesse Spector))) (@jessespector) October 14, 2016
Francona got out of the shower to a flurry of texts on Bauer. "You could've given me a lot of guesses and I wouldn't have gotten this one."
— (((Jesse Spector))) (@jessespector) October 14, 2016
This is not Bauer's first drone-related mishap. In July, he pleaded for help on Twitter after getting his custom-built drone stuck about 60 feet up in a tree during a road trip to Kansas City. After several failed attempts to get it down — including one using water balloons — the Royals' visiting clubhouse staff eventually found a solution that included a fishing pole (MLB.com had the full story at the time) and recovered it.
Late night rescue mission was a success!! Welcome back little guy! Visiting clubhouse staff is 💯💯💯👌👌👌 pic.twitter.com/0cx0616w07
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) July 19, 2016
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Of course, no pitchers were hurt in that particular production, and the stakes are quite a bit higher now.
We'll see if the injury affects Bauer when he returns to the mound Monday in Toronto. He has not pitched since Oct. 6, when he worked 4 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the AL Division Series.
