Francona Shares Untold Story of Bauer's Ball-Over-Fence Incident

Guardians manager Terry Francona recounts the tense aftermath of Trevor Bauer's outburst in 2019.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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In a recent podcast appearance, Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona shared an untold story about the aftermath of Trevor Bauer's infamous ball-over-the-fence incident in 2019 when Bauer was still with the team. Francona described how he was yelling at Bauer so intensely that he thought he was having a heart attack, and had to walk away from the confrontation.

Why it matters

The 2019 incident was a low point in Bauer's tenure with the Guardians, leading to his eventual trade to the Cincinnati Reds. Francona's account provides new insight into the tense exchange between the manager and pitcher following Bauer's outburst on the mound.

The details

During a difficult outing against the Kansas City Royals in July 2019, Bauer turned around and fired the baseball over the outfield fence in frustration, infuriating Francona. In the aftermath, Francona said he was yelling at Bauer so intensely that he started experiencing neck pain and thought he was having a heart attack, prompting him to walk away from the confrontation.

  • The incident occurred on July 28, 2019 during a game against the Kansas City Royals.
  • Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds just a few days after the incident, on July 31, 2019.

The players

Terry Francona

The manager of the Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Cleveland Indians) at the time of the incident, who is now the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Trevor Bauer

The pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians in 2019 who infamously threw a baseball over the outfield fence in frustration during a game against the Kansas City Royals.

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What they’re saying

“I was yelling at him so hard down behind the dugout, I started getting a pain in my neck. And I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm having a heart attack.' So I walked away, and he kind of stood there and looked at me, like, 'Are you done? Are you not done? Are you gonna yell?'... I just walked away because I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

— Terry Francona, Manager, Cleveland Guardians (The Mo Vaughn Podcast)

“First and foremost, I owe a sincere apology to all of my teammates, my coaching staff, the organization and all of our fans for how I conducted myself today. It's unbecoming. It was childish, unprofessional. There's no place for it in the game. I'm happy it didn't result in any physical injury for anybody else. I realize I put people in danger.”

— Trevor Bauer (MLB.com)

What’s next

The game on July 28, 2019 would end up being Bauer's final contest with the Guardians, as he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds just a few days later ahead of the trade deadline.

The takeaway

The tense exchange between Francona and Bauer following the ball-over-the-fence incident highlighted the growing tensions between the two, ultimately leading to Bauer's departure from the Guardians organization shortly after the incident.