"Is he American?" Former KIA Lauer throws better in MLB than KBO…Four scoreless innings, two games down, 'no hit'
"Is he American?" Former KIA Lauer throws better in MLB than KBO…Four scoreless innings, two games down, 'no hit'
Blog Article
Eric Lauer, who played as a foreign pitcher for the KIA Tigers last year, is flapping his wings in the Toronto Blue Jays uniform of the Major League Baseball (MLB).
Lauer pitched as the team's second pitcher against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2025 MLB regular season at Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 4th (Korea time) and pitched four innings of hitless, one walk and two strikeouts.
Lauer quickly took the mound with two outs in the top of the second inning. Starter Borden Francis gave up six runs in the first inning alone, and was forced to leave the mound in the second inning after giving up one more run due to a defense error after two outs. Lauer stepped in as a long relief to deal with the situation.먹튀검증
Immediately after finishing the inning by catching Max Kepler with a fly ball, Lauer continued to display good pitching. In the third inning, he allowed only one walk and allowed three batters to fail. In the fourth and fifth innings, Lauer quickly cleared himself of three outs. Standing on the mound in the sixth inning as well, he allowed two outs, recorded a streak of 10 consecutive hitters before handing over the baton to Paxton Schultz.
The team lost 3-8 after failing to overcome its initial mass loss. However, Lauer's good pitching was well worth it. The maximum amount of innings allowed Toronto to clean up the remaining innings with three pitchers after Lauer.
Lauer was a promising left-handed pitcher who was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2016 MLB Rookie Draft. Since his big league debut in 2018, he has played in a total of 120 games (112 starts) for the San Diego and Milwaukee Brewers for six seasons. He has been consistent with his 36-37 record and 4.30 ERA.
In particular, he pitched well in every particular important game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where Ryu Hyun-jin was playing at the time, making his name known as the "Dodgers killer" to domestic fans.
Having been playing in the minor league due to sluggish performance in the 2023 season, Lauer signed with Kia on August 6, 2024 and entered the KBO League. Many fans were surprised to learn that a player who once made good performance as a starting pitcher in the big league will come along. Analysts say that Kia, which is seeking to win the title, has displayed its last chance to win the title.
His performance was negligible. He played 34 ⅔ innings in seven games, posting two wins, two losses and an earned run average of 4.93. He was the same as his predecessor Cam Aldred (nine games, three wins, two losses and an earned run average of 4.53). Expectations turned into disappointment.
In the Korean Series, he still showed the big leaguer's reputation. Although he took the mound in Game 3 and hit two home runs, he pitched five hits (two home runs) with no outs and eight strikeouts in five innings. The team lost 2-4, but Lauer also got the ring as KIA won the championship.
However, his regular season performance was not enough and his contract was canceled. Lauer returned to the U.S. and signed a minor contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Dec. 20 last year. He was called by the big league on May 1 after spending time in Triple-A.
Since then, his performance has exceeded expectations. He has played various roles including chasing teams, long relievers, and replacement starters, and has displayed good pitching in seven games (two starters) with one win, one loss and an earned run average of 2.28 in 23 ⅔ innings.
His recent performance is particularly impressive. In a game against the Texas Rangers on June 29, he pitched three ⅓ innings of no hit, two walks and four strikeouts, laying the groundwork for his team's 2-0 win. Then, he gave up no hits against the Philadelphia Phillies this time, displaying good pitching in two consecutive games.
If he continues his good performance, Lauer will be on the big league roster for a long time. Moreover, Toronto has not given up hope to advance to the post season with 31 wins and 29 losses (win rate of 0.517) this season. Maybe I'll just change the venue and enjoy the fall baseball stage for two consecutive years.