Eric Lauer (KIA Tigers), who became the losing pitcher in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series against the Samsung Lions, was aiming to avenge his loss. Will he be given a chance to avenge his loss.메이저놀이터
Lauer, who joined the Kia Tigers as a substitute for Cam Aldred during this season, is a left-hander with a stellar career. In 120 games (596.2 innings) in the U.S. Major League Baseball, he recorded 36 wins, 37 losses and one hold with an ERA of 4.30.
However, his performance in the KBO League was somewhat disappointing. He played in seven games, but had two wins, two losses and an earned run average of 4.93.
With some concerns, Lauer started the third game of the Korean Series. As if to laugh at such expectations, he pitched cleanly. The final result was five hits, two homers, eight strikeouts and two runs in five innings. The total number of pitches he pitched was 71, and the maximum speed of fastballs was measured up to 151 kilometers. Lee Sung-kyu and Kim Young-woong hit solo home runs in the bottom of the third and fifth innings, respectively, and KIA lost 2-4, but the pitching was clearly not bad.
After the game, Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho said, "(Lauer) threw well. I thought about scoring two to three points in five innings before posting the ball. I think two runs in five innings is okay. I threw as I expected. While the batters failed to target (the opposing starting pitcher Denny Reyes), he hit a home run. I think he was unlucky."
"The ball went as well as I wanted. The movement was as good as I wanted," Lauer said on Sunday. "I tried hard to break the balance of hitters," adding, "It could have been more disappointing if I threw an actual pitch or hit a home run in an undesired direction, but I went as fast as I wanted both times. I had good pitching, but I got hit. I was a little disappointed just by the fact that I gave up a home run. Notably, I thought I pitched well for the first time (Lee Sung-kyu), but I was a little more surprised because it hit me. The second time (Kim Young-woong) was a good hitter," he recalled of Game 3.
Lauer faced the Samsung Lions in Gwangju on Aug. 11, his KBO League debut, but he allowed just four runs in 3.1 innings. Instead, he relented to some extent with a comfortable pitch in Game 3.
"If the (August 11th game) was thrown right at the beginning of the season and according to the batters, yesterday I threw different pitches or locations depending on how the batters reacted to my pitching," Lauer said.
"The result of yesterday's defeat came out. I am ready to play at any time. There is no talk yet, but I am preparing for the sixth game. Due to the nature of the series, we should be ready regardless of the number of games."
Even if Lauer prepares for the sixth game, however, the chance to avenge his loss will disappear if the series ends before the series ends. KIA, which went straight to the Korean Series by ranking first in the regular league (87 wins, two draws and 55 losses), lost in the third game (2-4) after securing both the first and second games (8-3), but had a 9-2 complete victory in the fourth game. If it adds one more win, it will face its 12th career Korean Series championship.
"The best scenario is to win the championship before the sixth game of the Korean Series, but if it continues until the sixth game, I want to show my best performance," Lauer said. "I think the result of today's game (the fourth game) will determine whether I will go (to the sixth game)." Will Lauer be given a chance to avenge his loss.