Dodgers: Trevor Bauer and Fernando Tatis Jr. fight over sign-stealing

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres reacts to his solo homerun, his second of the game, to take a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres reacts to his solo homerun, his second of the game, to take a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Dodgers star Trevor Bauer knows celebration is good for the game on both sides of the ball — but a war of words can be pretty rewarding, too.

Bauer’s good vibes regarding Fernando Tatis Jr.’s, ahem, extravagant home run celebration Saturday night appear to have lasted for several hours before disappearing. Now, they’ve been replaced by a Bauer Special: a good, ol’ fashioned Twitter war.

On Sunday afternoon, a fan brought Bauer’s attention to a clip from just before Tatis Jr.’s second homer of Saturday night’s game, in which he appeared to take a quick peek at the catcher before saluting a curve into the bleachers.

Fair? Foul? Either way, it caught Bauer’s ire.

Bauer examined the clip and decided it was suspicious enough that he would retweet it to his followers with an incendiary message for Tatis Jr.

Ask…ask daddy nicely? Eesh.

Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer got in a Twitter war with Fernando Tatis Jr. over sign-stealing.

Hot enough for you? Well, in case it wasn’t yet…Tatis Jr. responded. Quickly.

In what’s swiftly becoming the greatest battle in MLB, we assume the highly-paid shortstop took umbrage to Bauer calling himself the daddy. After all, the Dodgers have split Bauer’s first two starts against the Padres and Blake Snell this season, and Tatis Jr. certainly came out on top with a pair of dingers and a revenge celebration this weekend.

Nevertheless, Bauer hit his rival with a little mid-2000s casual homophobia to top off what was supposed to be a banner day for his path to enlightenment.

Blech. Not the greatest of snappy comebacks.

So, ahead of a Sunday night battle that could either tie the series or give the Pads an impressive road victory, we’ve got Bauer and Tatis Jr. swapping spit just a few hours after the righty went viral for responding positively to the budding star’s home run celebration.

Person-to-person feuds are probably just as good for the game as outrageous dinger parties, but maybe don’t get to “Machado and Tatis Jr. are married” by the second response next time, Trev.