KIA Tigers’ new foreign pitcher Eric Lauer. Despite his outstanding career of 36 wins in the Major League, he seems to need time to adapt to the KBO League.안전놀이터
Lee Bum-ho, manager of the KIA Tigers, mentioned pitcher Lauer ahead of the second of three consecutive weekend games against the NC Dinos in the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” held at Changwon NC Park on Sunday. Lauer started the game a day earlier (against Changwon NC Dinos on Sunday). In his third appearance since joining the KBO League, he allowed five hits, six strikeouts, one walk, and four runs in five innings. The team lost 4-7, and Lauer recorded his first loss in the KBO League.
Recently, Lauer has been showing off his pitches. He made his KBO debut against the Gwangju Samsung Lions on the 11th and received a report card of four runs and three strikeouts in three ⅓ innings. In the game against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 17th, he allowed one run and seven strikeouts in five innings, and in the previous game, he allowed four runs and six strikeouts in five innings.
Lauer, who had one of the most valuable career players in the Korean pro baseball league, still needs time to adapt to Korean baseball. Manager Lee said that Lauer’s inconsistent pitching has the biggest problem of adaptation. “I think it’s been about two weeks since I came to our team,” the coach said. “Since we didn’t play in the spring camp together, we need to take some time to adapt.” After the game ended yesterday, he said, “We have more games to play well, so let’s cheer up. We will get better.”
“I’m okay with my pitches. However, if I change the course or pitching design, I think I’ll be able to pitch well until the end of the season. I’ll talk about those points with the power analysis team and tell them which pitch is best for Korean batters and which pitch is most likely to be good at throwing, and prepare well,” he added.
It’s the same baseball, but the style is clearly different for each league. Major League Baseball, which is familiar to Lauer, shows the strong power of batters. It pursues aggressive baseball. On the other hand, the KBO League stands out for its elaborate hitting. This difference is also affecting Lauer’s pitching.
Manager Lee said, “You probably don’t know much about Korean hitters yet. In the U.S., the balls that should have swung are cut in Korea. The U.S. is much better in power, but in contact, Asian fielders have grown a lot. The balls that should have swung become fouls, and since they can’t strike out, they try to throw harder and give up hits. I think that’s repeated. You have to catch that point well. Also, some pitchers throw well in the beginning, but others throw well only after some experience. I think it’s that step. I think it’s best to create an environment where you can pitch better.”
In the starting rotation, Lauer plans to start against Gwangju SSG Landers on the 29th. Will Lauer be able to show a different pitch in his fourth appearance.
Meanwhile, James Nail, who had to match a foreign player’s one-two punch with Lauer, exited the stadium after being hit on the chin by a pitch at the match against Changwon NC D.C. on Tuesday. Given the hit area and strength, it is worrisome that he will leave the stadium. Lauer should quickly find a sense of stability and revitalize Kia’s starting lineup.