The Cleveland Indians are in the World Series, and tech-savvy pitcher Trevor Bauer has documented the team’s past two celebrations on the field and in the locker room using a GoPro and Head Strap.
The video Bauer captured, edited, set to music and posted on Sqor Sports shows him running onto the field at Rogers Centre joyously screaming, jumping and cussing. Yes, there’s some NSFW language.
Teammate Jason Kipnis upon seeing him smiles and calls him “stupid,” a reference to Bauer cutting his finger in an accident with his drone that limited his American League Championship Series start to 21 pitches, but didn’t prevent the Indians from reaching the World Series.
Bauer finds rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt, who threw 4 ⅓ shutout innings after being pressed into starting Game 5 of the ALCS due to the drone accident.
“I love you,” Bauer told the teammate who picked him up.
Inside the locker room, there are inside jokes. In the celebration after the Indians advanced to the ALCS, players spray champagne in honor of a beat writer who wrote them off during the season. After they beat Toronto to go to the World Series, Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is mocked on his birthday.
Bauer wonders where the boots are that Merritt was supposed to be shaking in during the start as Bautista had said before the game the 24-year-old would be doing. Merritt holds up the pair.
“Sign ‘em and send ‘em to Joey Bats,” Bauer exclaims.
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It’s truly insider all-access that Bauer’s headcam video provides, using technology after it was tech that could have cost the Indians dearly. His drone hobby had led a trip to the emergency room with his pinky sliced open, and the GIF-worthy bleeding forced him to leave his start in Game 3 after only 21 pitches. The celebration video showed he could joke about the incident as the celebration raged on.
“I made sure it was up, don’t worry,” Bauer told teammates as he popped a champagne cork toward the locker room ceiling. “Safety first. I believe in safety first.”
He laughs and toasts the teammates with a bottle held in the hand covered by the large plastic wrapping to protect his finger from the liquid. “It’s like an arm condom,” Bauer jokes to a reporter of the protection.
Bauer insisted to the reporter he would be ready to pitch without restrictions in the World Series. Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters Monday on the eve of Game 1 that the hope is Bauer would be able to start Game 2 on Wednesday, or else he would be pushed back to Game 3.
If Bauer ultimately helps pitch the Indians to the championship, the last GoPro video of the season should be spectacular if the past two videos are any indication.