Trevor Bauer denies sexual assault allegation made by Ohio woman

Trevor Bauer denies a sexual assault allegation made by Ohio woman

Trevor Bauer looks up toward the scoreboard after giving up a hit.

Staff Writer

Aug. 14, 2021 11:20 AM PT

In his first public statement since being accused of sexual assault in a temporary restraining order filed in June, Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer denied another sexual assault allegation that surfaced in a story published by the Washington Post on Saturday.

The investigation by the Post outlines that an Ohio woman filed a temporary order of protection in June 2020 when Bauer pitched for the Cincinnati Reds. The Post reported that it obtained photos showing facial injuries that the woman’s attorney said Bauer caused by punching and choking her during sex without consent. The article also reports that the woman attempted to show police officers photos of her injuries in an incident at Bauer’s apartment in 2017. The Post added that it could not independently confirm the date or location where the photos were taken.

“This is a continuation by the woman and her attorneys to make good on their threats to harm me by perpetuating false narrative,” Bauer said in a post on social media. “This has been a game to her from the beginning but my life is not a game and I won’t stand by idly and allow this conduct to continue.”

The report surfaced two days before a hearing to decide whether to keep in place another woman’s temporary restraining order against Bauer is scheduled to start in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The hearing could last up to four days.

Bauer hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since a California woman accused him of sexual assault in Pasadena and obtained a temporary restraining order against him in late June. Major League Baseball placed him on a seven-day paid administrative leave three days later. Since then, MLB and the players’ union have agreed to extend the leave multiple times. The two sides extended the leave again Friday through Aug. 20, until after Bauer’s hearing.

MLB sought records of the 2017 incident in early July, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly, and is investigating the Ohio woman’s allegations.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are in New York in the midst of a six-game trip and are trying to catch the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. Bauer seems to be in the news every week.

“I don’t think it’s a distraction,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday’s game. “I think our win-loss [record] speaks to that. We just have to keep going. And honestly, it’s enough focusing on the guys who are with us and trying to win baseball games, and that’s where I put all of my focus and energy.

“We know what’s going on outside of our clubhouse, but it’s not even a topic of conversation, and I don’t think it will be. We have to win baseball games. I haven’t addressed the team about it one time.”

Times staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report from New York.