Eric Lauer threw 112 pitches into the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals on August 12, 2026, and received a standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd.
Lauer said he had to sharpen his approach after starting with a rough pitch count. "I needed to be a little more efficient. Um, you know, make better pitches in the zone. Couldn't be as nitpicky as I was being," he said. He explained that the Royals were not chasing pitches out of the zone, which pushed him to focus on quality strikes and soft contact. "Wasn't getting a ton of swing out of zone. So, uh mentally I just had to, you know, lock it in a little bit more in zone," he noted.
Lauer added that his confidence built once he had a clearer read on the Royals' game plan. "I understood their game plan a lot better and what they were trying to do against me once I got through probably like you said about the third," he stated. He also explained that pitching deep into games to protect the bullpen is a general goal for the staff, and said this outing carried extra weight given the bullpen's condition at the time. "Every time we go out there we try to make it as deep into the game as we possibly can and you know save the bullpen," he said.
Lauer acknowledged he wanted to remain in the game through the seventh inning but accepted being pulled as likely the correct decision. "I would have kept going if I could have got the chance but I think at that point it was probably the better call," he said. He mentioned that the 112 pitches marked the second-most he has thrown in his career, adding he did not know beforehand he would be pushed that deep into the outing.
Lauer reflected that the ovation carried particular meaning for him, since he is usually on the visiting side facing boos rather than cheers. "It's a lot nicer when I do well here getting cheered on instead of getting upset, because usually I'm on the other side," he said.