Eric Lauer (30, Toronto Blue Jays), who was a member of the KBO League KIA Tigers' championship team last year, has not forgotten the three months he spent in Korea after returning to Major League Baseball.
On the 30th of last month (Korea time), Lauer started in an away game against the 2025 Major League Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, where he pitched 4⅓ innings, allowing 7 hits (1 home run), no walks, 4 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs.
In the 5th inning, while leading 5-3, he was replaced after 1 out with runners on first and second, but he contributed to Toronto's 5-3 victory. He threw a total of 85 pitches, with a top speed of 92.5 mph (148.9 km/h), averaging 91 mph (146.5 km/h), mixing 40 four-seam fastballs, 16 sliders, 12 curves, 11 cutters, and 6 changeups.
As of that day, Lauer has appeared in 12 games this season (6 starts, 45 innings), with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, an earned run average of 2.60, and 45 strikeouts. After signing with Toronto on a minor league contract and being called up in early May, he continued to perform well as a long reliever, ultimately securing a spot in the starting rotation. He has maintained stable performances, with 2 wins and 1 loss and an earned run average of 3.76 over 6 starts (26⅓ innings).
Lauer, who came to Korea last August as a substitute foreign player for KIA, had a disappointing performance with 7 games (34⅔ innings), 2 wins and 2 losses, and an earned run average of 4.93, along with 37 strikeouts. Despite leaving Korea due to a failed contract renewal, he is now having a resurgence after returning to Major League Baseball. Though it was a short time, Lauer has not forgotten his three months in Korea.
According to 'MLB.com', Lauer received interest from the KBO League KIA Tigers all summer last year. While staying with the Triple-A team under the Houston Astros, Lauer's opt-out date was August 1. As that date approached, KIA made an offer, and it was necessary to sign quickly to register for the postseason eligible roster.
At that time, Lauer had just learned that his wife, Emily, was pregnant with their first child, and he hesitated to accept KIA's offer. He recalled, "KIA came and said, 'Decide within 12 hours whether you will go to Korea.' Honestly, that moment sounded really terrible." It was not easy to leave his pregnant wife to go to a foreign land. There wasn't much time to ponder, which made it a difficult situation for Lauer.
Although he was considering staying in the U.S., his wife encouraged him to "think again," leading him to decide to go to Korea. Lauer said, "At that time, I thought, 'Going to Korea now is the worst timing.' But ultimately, it turned out well. Houston allowed me to opt out so I could go to Korea, and after that, I had an amazing experience there. It was really great."
Lauer reminisced, "I tell people, 'I know how it feels to be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto.' I was like that in Korea. I was the only tall white guy with a beard. When I went to the grocery store, people recognized me, saying, 'Look, it’s a Tigers player.' When one person yelled, others would loudly follow suit and shout along."
He added, "In Korea, there are cheerleaders, and someone with a microphone shouts at the crowd throughout the game. I was glad I didn't know Korean. Otherwise, it would have been distracting during the game," he continued. "When there’s a pickoff attempt, there’s booing. There are even cheers for pickoff attempts. It didn’t bother me at all. Not knowing what it meant, I wasn’t upset, and I picked off as much as I wanted."
After the season, Lauer wanted to re-sign with KIA, but it did not happen. The likelihood of a return to Major League Baseball looked high with James Neale remaining with KIA, causing Lauer's re-signing to fall through. Lauer stated, "The original plan was to return to Korea. Last year, Neale achieved an unbelievable record with the lowest earned run average in the KBO League, and I expected he would receive a Major League contract. The team said they would choose a new player if Neale leaves, and I waited for re-signing news from Neale, who replied, 'I haven’t received any Major League contract offers.' Thus, Lauer, who left Korea, returned as a starting pitcher to Major League Baseball, which reflects the unpredictability of life.
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