A reversal of life in KIA! → First exhibition game in the ML, 'no runs' was perfect

*This content was translated by AI.

Eric Lauer (31, Toronto Blue Jays), who joined the KIA Tigers at the end of the 2024 season and helped them win the integrated championship, took the mound as a starting pitcher in the first exhibition game of this season and pitched a scoreless pitch.

Lauer pitched one hit, one strikeout and one scoreless inning in an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida on the 22nd (Korea time).

Lauer faced leadoff hitter Justin Crawford as soon as he took the mound in the top of the first inning. Lauer, who hit two balls in a row with strikes, eventually allowed two fouls and one ball, and dedicated a double to center field for the sixth time.

Lauer, who was on the verge of losing a point by giving up a runner to the scoring position at once. But that was the end of the crisis. Adolis Garcia, who entered the next at-bat, was treated with a fly ball to right field by spraying a high fastball for the sixth time after a full count match.

Lauer, who went on to fly Edmundo Sosa to center field with a third curve from the ball count 1-1. With runners still tied to second base, Lauer struck out against Otto Kemp, spraying a curveball across the fifth-highest strike zone.

That's all Lauer's pitch is. In the second inning, Tyler Rogers took the mound and threw the ball. Toronto won 3-0 by blocking Philadelphia's batters with four hits after hitting nine hits.

Meanwhile, Lauer joined KIA as an alternative foreign pitcher in August 2024. In addition, he took the mound in seven games, recorded 2 wins, 2 losses and a 4.93 ERA, sharing the Korean Series title with KIA. After returning to the U.S. and signing a minor league contract with Toronto, he emerged as a key player for the team with a brilliant record of 9 wins, 2 losses and 3.18 ERA in 28 games (15 starts) in the 2025 season. In particular, he took the mound as a bullpen in the postseason and World Series stages and proved his value by pitching scoreless pitching.

According to the official Major League website MLB.com , Lauer also drew attention by looking back on the urgent situation when he joined KIA in the past. "When I was informed by KIA to make a decision within 12 hours at the time, the proposal sounded terrible when I thought of my pregnant wife," he confessed. However, the trip to Korea, which he chose with his wife's support, came back with the best results. Lauer said, "My experience in Korea was really the best, and I felt like I became a Toronto superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr." and expressed deep appreciation for the love I received in the KBO League.

Recently, it has drawn attention due to salary adjustment. Lauer demanded $5.75 million (about 8.3 billion won) in annual salary for the 2026 season from the Toronto club. Toronto, on the other hand, insisted on paying 4 million dollars (about 5.3 billion won). In the end, the distance between the two sides did not narrow, and the salary adjustment process began. And the salary adjustment committee eventually accepted the Toronto club's claim. Still, the amount is a whopping 12-fold increase compared to the total amount of 350,000 U.S. dollars when he signed a contract with Kia. This is truly a reversal of his life. It was Lauer who proved that the KBO League and KIA were not just a place to escape for him, but a land of opportunity for a successful U-turn. How will he perform this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.