Dodgers and Blue Jays discuss what makes Shohei Ohtani a special player
USA TODAY Sports caught up with members of the Dodgers and Blue Jays ahead of the World Series to discuss the unique talents of Shoehi Ohtani .
Sports Pulse
Former Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Eric Lauer put forth Herculean work for the Toronto Blue Jays on Oct. 27 (and Oct. 28, depending on where you live) in the midst of the longest World Series game on record, though the Los Angeles Dodgers ultimately won the battle in 18 innings, 6-5.
Lauer worked 4⅔ innings of scoreless relief, beginning in the 12th inning with the score tied, 5-5. That was still the score entering the 17th, when Lauer was replaced by teammate Brendon Little, who surrendered Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer in the 18th.
“(Blue Jays manager John Schneider) came up to me a few times and asked if I was good,” Lauer said, as relayed by MLB.com after the loss. “Of course, I was good. I was ready to go, and that’s pretty much all we left it at. He was like, ‘This is your game. We’re going to try to win it for you. Just keep going out there and doing your thing.’”
The Dodgers took a series lead with the Game 3 victory, two games to one, with Game 4 still to come Oct. 28.
Lauer allowed two hits and walked four batters (three intentionally) but also struck out a pair during his essential outing.
He retired he first two men he faced in the 12th after relieving Braydon Fisher, then worked around a leadoff double in the 13th, stranding Tommy Edman at third when he induced a groundout by River Falls High School alumnus Alex Call, followed by two intentional walks and then a fly out by Freeman.
In the 14th, the Dodgers put two runners on with one out, but Lauer retired Edman on a pop-up and Miguel Rojas on a groundout. The only batter to reach over the next two innings against Lauer was Shohei Ohtani via intentional walk.
Lauer, a key figure in the 2021 Brewers rotation, had some career twists and turns before signing as a minor-league free agent with the Blue Jays before the season. In 2024, he split the season between Class AAA with two organizations and Korea, never appearing in a big-league game.
First acquired by Milwaukee in 2020 in the deal that sent Trent Grisham and Zach Davies to San Diego, Lauer ultimately finished 22-20 with a 4.22 ERA in 67 career games with the Brewers (60 starts). He struggled in 2023, and after the team parted ways, he spent short stints in the minors with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros.
The 30-year-old rediscovered something in Toronto this year, posting a 3.18 ERA and 9-2 record over 28 games (15 starts) in Toronto, covering 104⅔ innings. He’s allowed three earned runs in 8⅔ innings of work during the postseason (3.12 ERA).