Eric Lauer's frustration with the Toronto Blue Jays wasn't just about results. It was about a strategy he never bought into in the first place.
Lauer made his stance clear back in April, telling reporters he "can't stand" pitching behind an opener.
"Lauer, who pitched successfully for Toronto as a starter and reliever last year, said he much prefers traditional starting throughout spring training," Mitch Bannon reported for The Athletic.
He echoed that same frustration again shortly before his exit from Toronto, pointing to pitchers being creatures of habit who thrive on consistent routines.
John Schneider had defended the approach at the time, explaining an opener helped Lauer avoid facing the top of Arizona's order more than twice in one particular start.
That matchup logic made sense on paper, but Lauer's results since leaving Toronto tell a very different story about what actually works for him.
Since joining the Dodgers, Lauer has appeared in eight games as a traditional starter in all but one outing, and Los Angeles has won every single one of those eight games.
Why the simplest approach seems to be working best
Lauer wasted no time making his preference known to his new manager either.
"He's told me that when he starts, we win," Dave Roberts said, according to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett.
An undefeated record across eight appearances is a remarkable stretch by any measure, and it lines up directly with the traditional role Lauer had been asking for all along.
It's a bit like an employee insisting a different process would work better, only to get vindicated the moment a new manager finally lets them try it their way.
Toronto's matchup-based reasoning wasn't unreasonable on its face, but Lauer's comfort level as a starter clearly mattered more than the analytics suggested.
Does this outcome mean Toronto simply misjudged Lauer's fit, or does his success in Los Angeles reflect a stronger roster around him more than the role itself?
Either way, Lauer has turned into one of baseball's more unexpected stories this season, proof that sometimes the simplest approach really does produce the best results.
Should the Blue Jays have let Eric Lauer pitch as a traditional starter instead of using openers?
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