LOS ANGELES — A woman wrapped her own hair around her neck as she sat on the witness stand to demonstrate the way she said Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer used it to choke her into unconsciousness.
“I couldn’t breathe. It almost felt like I was going to gag. I was gagging for air. Then I went unconscious,” the woman said, crying through one of the more dramatic moments in more than three hours of testimony Monday. “It took me a while to remember who was even having sex with me, or where I was.”
The 27-year-old San Diego woman is seeking a five-year restraining order against Bauer, who was placed on paid administrative leave on July 2 by Major League Baseball. That leave has been extended through Friday. MLB and police in Pasadena, California, are investigating the woman’s allegations, and Bauer could face punishment under baseball’s domestic violence policy.
The woman said she sought the protective order when she realized how long the police investigation was going to take. She was granted a temporary civil restraining order against Bauer until evidence could be heard for the five-year order she is now seeking.
Bauer’s representatives have repeatedly said everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He is expected to give his own version of events during the hearing, which is scheduled to last several days. The woman returns to the stand Tuesday morning.
Bauer’s attorney Shawn Holley said Monday the woman gave Bauer every indication she wanted to be choked in the way she described, and otherwise consented to rough sexual treatment during the two nights she and Bauer spent together at the pitcher’s home in Pasadena.
Holley read from private Instagram messages the woman sent Bauer in which she said she had “never been more turned on in my life” than when Bauer choked her out during their first encounter in April, and wanted more of the same when they got together again in May. Holley said during her opening statement that the woman told Bauer in the messages to give her “all the pain.”
The woman testified that she in no way consented to how violent things got the second night when, as she was still reeling from being unconscious, Bauer punched her in the jaw, the cheekbones and the side of the head.
“I’ve never been punched in the face ever,” she said. “I felt like my soul left my body, and I was terrified. I couldn’t fight back.”
Bauer sat in the courtroom wearing a blue suit, and had no visible response to the testimony.
The woman’s attorney, Lisa Helfend Meyer, asked her repeatedly why she didn’t tell Bauer more clearly to stop when he was doing things she didn’t want.
She said she had made a deep emotional connection with Bauer on the first night they spent together, and wanted to keep that alive. She said she had meant it when she texted to her best friend after the first night that he was an “amazing human.”
“I wanted to create a better experience than the first time,” she said. “I wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear, so he could stay interested. I wanted to keep his attention.”
She testified that earlier in the night she had jokingly said “daddy issues” when he asked her safe word, and at the moment of maximum pain was able to get the word “daddy” out.
That made Bauer stop, she said, and tell her she was safe, and that he would never do such things to her other than sexually.
The woman said she still spent the night at Bauer’s house because she was not in a condition to drive home, and all her friends in Los Angeles were asleep.
After returning to San Diego the next day, she went to a hospital and underwent an exam used for sexual assault victims, and reported Bauer to authorities, according to her attorney.
The woman testified that she is the daughter of a baseball coach, has been a lifelong fan of the game, and roots for her hometown San Diego Padres. She said that was part of her banter with Bauer that began after she tagged him in an Instagram story while watching him pitch against the Padres in April.
“All that’s left is the official tryout,” Bauer messaged her as their conversations got increasingly flirty before they met up, she said.
“Tryouts don’t scare me Bauer,” she replied. “Bring it.”
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault.
Bauer was the subject of another protective order sought by an Ohio woman last year who claimed he punched and choked her without consent while they were having sex, The Washington Post reported on Saturday. Bauer tweeted a statement calling the report “false” and “baseless.”
Bauer agreed to a $102 million, three-year contract to join his hometown Dodgers earlier this year after winning his first Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds last season. Bauer is 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts this season.
ASTROS: The Houston Astros have agreed to a settlement with the family of a 2-year-old girl struck by a foul ball during a 2019 Astros game at Minute Maid Park, the family’s attorney said.
Attorney Richard Mithoff said the settlement terms with parents Jonathan David Scott and Alexandra Colchado were confidential. The Astros’ organization had no comment, according to a team spokesman.
State District Judge Michael Gomez appointed an attorney to make an independent review of the girl’s needs and interests before the judge approves the settlement, Mithoff said. The attorney was to present those findings in two to three weeks, Mithoff said.
The girl, who is now age 4, suffered a skull fracture and brain injury and has been on anti-seizure medication since the incident, Mithoff said. However, her doctors have been weaning her from the medication gradually, and she hasn’t had a seizure in 22 months, he said.
Her prognosis has been difficult to define, he said, but her parents were hopeful about her future for a normal life.
The girl’s injury was among the foul ball incidents that prompted all Major League Baseball teams to extend protective netting farther down the foul lines to protect fans.
YANKEES: Manager Aaron Boone isn’t certain Clint Frazier will be able to play baseball again after the outfielder was pulled from a minor league rehab assignment amid continuing issues with his vision.
“We’ll see,” Boone said when asked if Frazier would play again. “Obviously he’s been through a lot and been through a lot of seeing a lot of people and a lot of testing and everything. We’ll just try and continue to follow and support him where we can. But as of right now, a little holding pattern. I know he feels well today, so we’ll just see.”
The 26-year-old Frazier began a minor league rehab assignment last Tuesday after missing nearly six weeks due to dizziness and other symptoms consistent with vertigo. He went 4 for 10 over three games, but Boone said Frazier felt unwell prior to Sunday’s game with Double-A Somerset and took himself out of the lineup.
Frazier was formally pulled from the rehab assignment Monday and transferred to the 60-day injured list.
“Just didn’t feel like he was good enough to post,” Boone said before New York played the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. “And so, decided to pull the plug, and we applaud him for making that decision.”
Frazier was placed on the injured list July 1 with what was initially called vertigo and later defined as a possible vision issue. He missed nearly all of the 2018 season with lingering concussion symptoms, but it’s not clear if his current concerns are related.
• RHP Luis Severino (right shoulder tightness) had an MRI as planned. Boone said the team hoped to review the results before the end of the night. … C Gary Sanchez (COVID-19 IL) hit on the field and could be activated Tuesday for a doubleheader against Boston.
RAYS: The AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays signed 36-year-old reliever David Robertson to a major league contract and will have him report to Triple-A Durham.
Robertson pitched for the silver medal-winnng USA team in the Tokyo Olympics.
The right-hander is 53-33 with 137 saves and a 2.90 ERA in 12 major league seasons, including nine with the New York Yankees.
Robertson last appeared in the majors in 2019, pitching in seven games for Philadelphia.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays transferred left-hander Jeffrey Springs from the 15-day to 60-day IL.
Springs underwent surgery Monday to reconstruct a torn ACL in his right knee. The reliever was hurt July 31 against Boston.
The Rays started Monday with 16 pitchers on the IL, including ace Tyler Glasnow and last year’s closer, Nick Anderson.
Glasnow is out the for the season and likely all of next year as well following Tommy John surgery. Anderson is on a rehab assignment with Durham.
WHITE SOX: The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Adam Engel on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
The White Sox also promoted right-handers Ryan Burr and Mike Wright from Triple-A Charlotte. Reliever Matt Foster was sent down, and right-hander Zack Burdi was designated for assignment.
PADRES: Jake Arrieta caught on with a playoff contender after getting released by the Chicago Cubs, signing a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres.
The former NL Cy Young Award winner is expected to make his first start for San Diego on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies.
The Padres signed Arrieta to add depth to their injury-plagued rotation. Chris Paddack (left oblique strain) and Yu Darvish (back tightness) are on the 10-day injured list.
San Diego Manager Jayce Tingler said Arrieta was put on the team’s taxi squad after joining the team in Denver for the start of a three-game series.
The Cubs released Arrieta on Thursday, a day after he allowed eight runs in four innings against Milwaukee and mocked a reporter for wearing a mask during his postgame interview.
Arrieta went 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA in 20 starts for Chicago, a disappointing return to the team for which he had his greatest success. He is 115-90 with a 3.93 ERA over 12 seasons with Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia.
He won the Cy Young Award in 2015 and had another superb season in 2016, helping the Cubs to a drought-busting World Series title.
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