Trevor Bauer won't get a championship ring but is happy for ex-teammates after Ducks' Atlantic League championship
Trevor Bauer of the Ducks delivers from the stretch during an Atlantic League baseball game against the Lancaster Stormers in Central Islip on June 21. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The Long Island Ducks began their march to a fifth Atlantic League title on April 21 when 10-year MLB veteran and 2020 Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer took the mound.
Although he won’t receive a championship ring after signing with Diablos Rojas del Mexico of the Mexican League on June 22, Bauer shared his pride in what his former team achieved.
“I’m extremely happy for the Long Island Ducks organization, all my former teammates and friends, the coaching staff, the support staff, the front office and the fans,” Bauer said via a statement to Newsday through his agent. “Winning a championship in baseball is incredibly difficult and a great achievement, and I’m proud to have been a small part of this special season and this special group.”
Bauer also reposted the Ducks’ championship post Friday night on his Instagram story, adding “Congrats to the boys!”
Ducks president and chief business officer Michael Pfaff said the team will hand out championship rings at the 2027 home opener on April 23 to those on the roster and around the organization during the championship series against Southern Maryland. The team followed the same protocol when it won its first four titles.
Bauer was placed on administrative leave when he was with the Dodgers in 2021 and served a 194-game suspension after he was deemed to have violated MLB’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy. He denied any misconduct and wasn’t charged. The Dodgers released him in January 2023.
The 35-year-old pitcher signed with the Ducks on April 2 and made his debut on Opening Day before a sellout crowd of 6,896 fans. In 42 innings, Bauer had a 2.36 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 66 strikeouts and seven walks.
He became the ninth player in Atlantic League history and the third Duck to throw an individual no-hitter, striking out seven and walking one on 84 pitches in a seven-inning game as part of a road doubleheader against Lancaster on April 26.
Bauer set the Ducks’ single-game strikeout record (15) in a 6-3 win over Gastonia on May 12. He was one of eight Ducks who were signed by an outside organization this season.
For manager Lew Ford, who won three titles as a Ducks player, this title feels different. After all, he worked with every member of the roster throughout an ever-changing season.
“You’ve been through the whole season with every single guy,” Ford said. “Even the guys that aren’t here now, that might be hurt or whatever, they were a part of this. It’s an even better feeling, really, because every guy has a different story; they differ on things, and we all came together and won.”
The Ducks also completed the best season in franchise history, going 80-46 in the regular season and 6-0 in the postseason for a franchise-best .652 winning percentage.
The 2019 team, the last Ducks squad to win the Atlantic League championship, previously held the record (.622).
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
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