Ex-Dodgers pitcher Dave Stewart skipping World Series reunion after Trevor Bauer allegations
Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence.
At least one former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher is fed up with the organization about its handling of Trevor Bauer’s sexual assault allegations, and he’s not going to show up to his 40th World Series championship anniversary because of it.
Former pitcher Dave Stewart, who was a relief pitcher on the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series team, said he told the team that he will not be attending the ceremony later this month due to the team’s refusal to discipline Bauer — who was accused of both rape and sexual assault last week.
“The organization isn’t what it was when we came through,’’ Stewart said, via USA Today. “The Dodgers organization that I grew up in under the O’Malley family would never stand for that. The Dodgers should have stepped up in that situation, and they didn’t. You’ve got to have character standards.
“I told them, 'I can’t show up for that.’"
Bauer placed on leave after allegations
A woman was granted a temporary restraining order against Bauer last week after she made allegations that he had assaulted her during a pair of sexual encounters earlier this year.
The allegations are currently being investigated by the Pasadena Police Department. The woman’s lawyer told Yahoo Sports last week that they anticipate criminal action being taken against him, too.
The woman said that in her first encounter that Bauer had choked her to unconsciousness with her own hair, and then woke up with him having anal sex with her, something she never consented to. In the second encounter, she said that Bauer choked her to unconsciousness two different times and that she woke up to him punching her in the head multiple times.
Bauer has denied the allegations against him, and is set for a hearing on July 23.
His representatives released screenshots of texts between the two to Yahoo Sports last week, which they said were omitted from her court filing on purpose. Those messages appeared to show the woman consenting to being choked and slapped, but punching and anal sex were not mentioned.
Major League Baseball placed him on administrative leave on Friday.
The Dodgers had said previously that they still planned to start Bauer — who signed a three-year, $102 million deal with the team in the offseason — this weekend despite the allegations.
“I know they owe him a lot of money, but the right thing is to distance yourself from that guy," Stewart said, via USA Today. "I don’t want him in my clubhouse. If you’re a teammate, you can’t support him. And if you’re a teammate supporting him, what are you standing for?
“If it wasn’t for his contract, he’d be gone. But even with the money they owe him, you can’t allow him to perform for you and act like nothing happened. You just can’t."
Stewart shocked by Dodgers’ response
Stewart, who played for the Dodgers from 1978-83 and won three World Series titles during his 16-season career, said he emailed the team to tell them that he won’t be attending the July 25 event.
In response, Stewart said the Dodgers told him that “the team and the Players Associations support the player until he’s guilty.”
That didn’t sit well with him.
“HE BROKE THE UNWRITTEN RULE ON HOW YOU SHOULD TREAT WOMEN!" he replied in all capital letters, via USA Today.
So, Stewart is opting to skip the ceremony entirely.
“I was really looking forward to it, too,’’ he said, via USA Today. “It would have been great to see all of my former teammates from my first World Series team … It was an honor to play for the Dodgers. It was such a special organization. I mean, families were always allowed to fly on the team plane. Kids were running around the clubhouse like it was Disneyland. That was the Dodger tradition. They stood for character."
More from Yahoo Sports:
