“I feel indescribable.”Eric Lauer (30), who met at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on
“I feel indescribable.”
Eric Lauer (30), who met at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 24th (Korea Standard Time), a day before the World Series, expressed his feelings ahead of the World Series.
“Excitement and worry are intersecting. The World Series is a stage I’ve dreamed of since childhood, and I’ve been working on this one all my career. Now I have that stage in front of me.”
사진 확대 Eric Lauer is trying to win for the second year in a row. Photo (Toronto, Canada) = Correspondent Kim Jae-ho
It was a very curvy career. At one point, he pitched more than 150 innings as a full-time starter, but he experienced a terrible slump and crossed the Pacific Ocean during the season last season.
Last year, he had an unforgettable experience. Playing for the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A, he joined the KBO League KIA Tigers during the season. It was not an impressive performance, with a 4.93 ERA in seven regular-season games, but he contributed to the team’s victory by taking the mound in the Korean Series.
Having acquired the championship ring in Korea last year, she will challenge for the championship ring in the Major League this year. Trying to win in different countries for the second year in a row.
“I don’t know if there was another case like that,” he said, adding, “I think it’s a wonderful thing. The past few years have been a tumultuous time for me. I got a chance to play in Korea and even experienced a championship, and now I’m trying to win the World Series title ring here. “It’s a championship ring in two different countries for two years, so I think it’s going to be a crazy story.”
When asked, “What would it have been like if someone came up to you last year and said he was going to win the World Series a year later?” he replied, “Maybe he laughed out loud and said, ‘What are you talking about?'” “It’s really the moment my dream came true. Awesome. Winning the Korean Series was also an incredible experience. It was like a prelude to the World Series. I’m ready. It will be a more exciting and fun stage,” he continued.
사진 확대 Lauer played in the Korean Series last year. Photo = MK Sports DB
Life in Korea, which was short, but achieved a valuable achievement of winning, what did he learn here?
When asked, he said, “I’ve learned a lot.” The most important thing was to gain confidence as a baseball player.
“I gained new confidence. Got a new sense of who I am and how I get things done. Over the years, I’ve been running here with ups and downs and stagnation. I went to Korea trying to find my way. There, coaches and colleagues instilled confidence in me. With that confidence, I was able to prepare for the offseason and show it here this season.”
In the 2025 season, Lauer contributed to the team’s district championship by making a call-up to the big league through Triple-A and throwing 1042/3 innings in 28 games with a 3.18 ERA. He explained that his experience in Korea influenced his current success.
“The most important thing as a starting pitcher is the routine, and the consistency. In baseball, I think it is most important to maintain the consistency as much as possible every day. In that sense, knowing that you can get a chance every five to six days and preparing for it helped your confidence as well as your routine. It was very important for the team to know that I was confident enough to stay here and that I would give myself a chance to play every time,” he said, adding that he gained confidence from his time in Korea.
사진 확대 Lauer contributed to Toronto’s district championship this season. Photo = The Canadian Press via AP= Yonhap News
Outside of baseball, he had a lot to learn from. “I learned a lot about the overall culture there. The people were so good. It was warm, kind and friendly. I learned some Korean, too. It was fun to communicate with people. The food was the best I’ve ever experienced. I never thought I’d come to like kimchi stew so much. The dipping sauce called ‘Ssamjang’ was also really good. I was even trying to find a way to make it. Any food was done as long as there was rice in the ssamjang. It was the best to have pork belly here.”
Regarding the atmosphere of the stadium, he said, “It was like a party,” and he was impressed. MC and DJ cheerleaders led the way throughout the game, and fans got up and sang cheer songs for each batter. I think there is something to refer to in Major League Baseball as well. I think there is something to learn about how to communicate with the fans and that.”
Not as much as the KBO, but still, Major League Baseball stadiums boast a different enthusiastic atmosphere in the postseason than in the regular season. The atmosphere of the World Series in Toronto for the first time since 1993 will also be heated.
He said, “Wouldn’t the atmosphere of the World Series be similar to that of Korea? I don’t know if the crowd will sing cheering songs for each batter here, but I’m looking forward to the enthusiastic atmosphere,” he said, expressing his expectations for the upcoming stage.
[Toronto (Canada) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]
