Trevor Bauer pitches to a record crowd in Japan and wins his first start with the Baystars:

Japanese fans have welcomed him, women have not organized to protest his presence, and he is being given the benefit of the doubt. For his part, Bauer is talking up every aspect of playing in Japan.

“I just want to win,” Bauer said. “I want to contribute to that. I want to pitch well. I want to entertain the fans.”

Yokohama fan Shohei Horikawa stood inside Yokohama’s stadium and summed up what many in Japan feel.

“I know he had some issues in the past, but he was not convicted,” Horikawa said, wearing a Bauer No. 96 jersey. “I want him to reset himself in Japan without any prejudice and to do his best.”

ESPN.com

We’ll see if he can rehabilitate his image enough to pitch in MLB again.