Eric Lauer of Kia Tigers pitches against Lotte Giants at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Sept. 12. Yonhap
When former major league pitcher Eric Lauer made his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) debut with the Kia Tigers on Aug. 11, he got his rude "Welcome to Korea" moment against the Samsung Lions.
Lauer, who won 36 games over six seasons with the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers, was touched for seven hits, including two home runs, in just 3 1/3 innings. After giving up four earned runs, Lauer took a no-decision in a 5-4 Tigers loss.
The American left-hander didn't face the Lions again the rest of the regular season, but he will have a chance to get his revenge on the biggest stage of them all: Game 3 of the Korean Series later this week.
The Tigers earned a bye to the Korean Series after posting the best record in the regular season. The Lions finished in second place and defeated the defending champions LG Twins in the second round to advance to the Korean Series.
"I was hoping the whole time it would be Samsung just because I haven't got to face them again since that first game and I wanted a redemption shot," Lauer told Yonhap News Agency before Game 1 on Monday at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. "Now I'm more adjusted to the league. I understand KBO hitters a little bit better now. So I just want to see how the matchup will play again because I feel like that wasn't a great showing (in August). I want a shot at redemption to show that now I'm adjusted and now I know what's going on. I'll really give it to them."
Kia Tigers pitcher Eric Lauer speaks to reporters at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Oct. 21. Yonhap
That August game was at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. This time, Lauer will face the Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, about 235 km southeast of Seoul. It's the most hitter-friendly park in the KBO and yielded 216 home runs in only 71 regular-season games this year.
During the previous series against the Twins, the Lions pounded out eight home runs in two games, winning both of them by a combined 20-9.
Lauer said he was aware of the stadium's reputation, but he won't necessarily change his approach because of that.
"Obviously, that's in the back of my mind, but the goal is to get weak contact and not to let them hit the ball hard enough to get them out of the park," Lauer said. "I don't know if it's going to change my game plan being in that stadium, but I think I have a pretty good idea of how I want to attack guys to where I can at least induce weak contact rather than hard contact."
Lauer signed with the Tigers in August after the team waived Cam Alldred, who had been a short-term injury replacement for Wil Crowe. Sensing an opportunity to go for their first title since 2017, the Tigers pounced on a pitcher who only two seasons ago won 11 games and posted a 3.69 ERA for the Brewers.
"It feels really cool to be able to join a club that was already in such a good spot and to be here for what I was brought here to do," Lauer said. "Now, we just go out and finish the job." (Yonhap)