The Toronto Blue Jays were on the wrong end of a historic matchup at Dodger Stadium last night, with the Jays dropping a 6-5 game to Los Angeles thanks to a walk-off home run by Freddie Freeman in the 18th inning.
Six hours, 39 minutes, over 19 pitchers used, and 31 hits combined, and the Jays head into Game 4 looking to tie up the series. There were fielding mishaps, baserunning miscues, and some questionable calls by home plate umpire Mark Wegner, but at the end of the day, the Blue Jays need to find a way to get themselves back into the win column following a long night at the ballpark.
Lost in the moment following the defeat was the absolute effort put forward by southpaw Eric Lauer. The Jays’ bullpen fared pretty well overall, but Eric Lauer carried a bulk of the load when the Jays needed him the most last night.
Entering the game in the bottom of the 12th inning, Lauer was tasked with facing Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez, and pitched a clean frame. He would go another four innings, allowing just two hits while facing the Dodgers lineup multiple times, and was able to escape multiple jams to keep Toronto in the game.
Eric Lauer appreciation tweet 👏
4.2 SCORELESS innings out of the bullpen! #WANTITALL pic.twitter.com/DQBp8Xz3tj
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 28, 2025
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After Tommy Edman doubled to kick off the 13th inning and a sac bunt moved him to third base, Lauer was able to get a popout to Alex Call before the Jays loaded the bases to face Freeman for the left on left matchup. Lauer won this battle, getting the outfielder to fly out to centre field to end the inning. Another walk and a single put some pressure on the reliever in the bottom of the 14th, but again, he was able to get out of the situation.
The 15th inning saw the top of the order come back around, and while the Jays decided to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani, Lauer was able to keep him at first base by getting Mookie Betts to fly out to right field and Freeman to line out to centre field, ending another game-ending situation. Lauer’s final frame in the bottom of the 16th saw him strike out Will Smith and Munch before a Hernandez flyout sealed the deal. It was a 68-pitch affair for the left-hander, who didn’t generate a ton of swing and miss last night, but was able to keep the Blue Jays in the game by shutting down the Dodgers’ bats for almost five innings.
This isn’t a first for Lauer this season – if there was an internal award for the ‘unsung hero’ on this team, the 30-year-old would be near the top of the list.
After signing a MiLB deal with the Jays this past winter, he got the call from Buffalo on April 30th and hasn’t looked back. Across 28 outings, 15 of which came out of the rotation, he pitched to a 3.18 ERA across 104 2/3 innings while holding batters to a .227/.278/.407 slash line and a .684 OPS. He finished the regular season with a 3.85 FIP and a 1.108 WHIP and was able to limit the free passes (2.2 BB/9) and struck out batters at an 8.8 K/9, ending the year with a stellar 2.2 bWAR.
This is an Eric Lauer appreciation post pic.twitter.com/onqj4KwApX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 28, 2025
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Whatever the Jays needed Lauer to do, he was able to come in clutch for the team. When the Jays fell on injury and performances with their starters came in June, Lauer stepped into the rotation and was able to stop the bleeding on what could have been a worse situation. When Bieber was good to go following the trade deadline, Lauer went to the bullpen and continued to produce there, authoring a 3.00 ERA with just four earned runs allowed through September. This strong trend has continued into the postseason, where he’s allowed just six hits and three earned runs through 8 2/3 innings, most of which came last night when the Blue Jays needed an arm to eat some innings.
While the Toronto Blue Jays lost last night, it was Eric Lauer who gave the club a fighting chance late in extra innings. It’s been a consistent storyline for Lauer this season, and what he has contributed to the team this year, and this should bode well for next season and his role with the club moving forward.
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