© Getty ImagesSan Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Trevor Bauer warned San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. about allegedly peeking at signs as the MLB rivalry intensifies.
Tatis continued his red-hot form with another pair of home runs on Saturday, but the Padres still lost 5-4 to World Series champions the Dodgers.
A day after homering twice off star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Tatis homered twice off Bauer - becoming the sixth player with a multi-homer game off a former Cy Young winner twice in one season and the first to do so in back-to-back games, per Stats Perform.
But a day later, a moment in Tatis' at-bat in the sixth inning caught the attention of the Dodgers after the 2020 Silver Slugger appeared to peek at catcher Will Smith's sign before the pitch.
As the National League (NL) West rivalry dominates MLB, 2020 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner Bauer said in a video published via his YouTube channel: "That's the type of stuff that would get you hit in other games.
"Now, I'm mild mannered about it. Flip the bat, do all that stuff, fine. If you're going to look at the signs, not OK, and if you do it again, the team that you're playing probably isn't going to take too kindly, and there might have to be some on-field stuff.
"That is disrespecting your opponent, look at their signs, stuff like that. Whereas the bat flips and celebrating with your team-mates is fine, in my opinion."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also addressed the incident prior to Sunday's clash against the Padres, telling reporters: "When you talk about peaking, that's just not the way you play baseball.
"If that is the case, which I don't know, that'll be noted."
When asked whether he meant adjusting how catchers give signs, Roberts replied: "No, that's not what I'm talking about."