Trevor Bauer Wanted to Wear 'FREE JOE KELLY' Cleats, MLB is Blocking Him
Trevor Bauer has made no secret of his disdain for the Houston Astros, so it's no surprise he is defending Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly.
Kelly was suspended by Major League Baseball for throwing at the heads two Astros hitters on July 29. Bauer planned to wear "FREE JOE KELLY" cleats on the mound Wednesday night but MLB has shot that down.
Bauer tweeted a video of the cleats he was planning to wear during his start for the Cincinnati Reds:
And the moment you've all been waiting for.....here's a look at my cleats for tonight's start. FREE JOE KELLY! If you want to be eligible for a chance to win these, see next tweet for details. pic.twitter.com/WR0LrNpgCC
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) August 19, 2020
The league clearly saw that and shut it down pretty quickly.
News: Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer planned to wear cleats in his start today that say “FREE JOE KELLY” and sport a picture of the suspended Dodgers pitcher. MLB told him he could be removed from the game and disciplined if he does, Bauer told ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 19, 2020
Story: https://t.co/mJmAiqqg8J pic.twitter.com/kVqSF9VOjx
Those are pretty sweet, complete with the iconic face Kelly made at the Astros following his strike out Correa after he had thrown at him:
MLB reached out to Bauer and told him he could be removed from the game and potentially fined or suspended if he wore them, so he backed down.
Kelly was initially suspended eight games for throwing at Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, but the league reduced his ban to five games after an appeal.
Bauer has previously clashed with Astros players and has publicly discussed things he's heard about their cheating scandal. He's not a fan of the organization, which explains his support of Kelly.