When Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger reflected on his natural bond with Trevor Bauer 

Former teammates and MLB stars Mike Clevinger and Trevor Bauer shared a thick bond. Chicago White Sox pitcher Clevinger opened up about his friendship with Bauer and disclosed that it was built on similar traits.

As reported by SI in 2019, he spilled the details behind his natural bond with Bauer and said:

“He has a rep of having bad character, for some reason—for almost being too honest. It’s not like he’s saying a bunch of lies. The truth hurts, sometimes. His attitude is, if you don’t like me, there’s 7.5 billion people on this planet, so I’m pretty sure there’s others that will, so you can go kick rocks. That bonds us.”

In 2018, Clevinger said that his relationship with Bauer was like that of a "brother." Although the two players were very different from one another in many ways, they were brought together by a competitive spirit that has fueled an unlikely bond.

"He wants to throw harder, better, sharper every day. And that's what I want to do"

Clevinger and Bauer were both chosen in the 2011 MLB draft. During their time as starting pitchers with the Cleveland Indians, they both achieved success.

Mike Clevinger and Trevor Bauer pitched together for the Cleveland Indians

In 2013, Bauer pitched in a few major league games for the Arizona Diamondbacks and a further handful for the Cleveland Indians. In 2014, Bauer started every game for the team.

The Indians eventually signed him, and he went on to have some productive seasons there, going 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 2017 and 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA in 2018.

Detroit Tigers v Cleveland Indians

Clevinger, on the other hand, made his Indians debut in 2016. He has also had a number of successful seasons with them; his ERA hasn't exceeded 3.18 in any of the previous four seasons, and last season, it was 2.71. Due to their participation in the 2016 World Series, Bauer and Clevinger gained a lot of playoff experience while playing with the Indians.

The players grew close throughout the course of their time together in Cleveland. Despite the fact that they frequently joked about with one another (according to MLB.com, they bet $100 on who had the fastest fastball), their friendship also benefited each of their performances on the mound.