The Los Angeles Dodgers began their road trip with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night behind Eric Lauer’s excellent outing.
The left-hander was originally scheduled to start, but instead filled a bulk role after Will Klein took the mound as the opener. Lauer inherited a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the second, but completely shut the Twins down with six no-hit innings.
According to Twins beat reporter Aaron Gleeman, Lauer became only the 11th pitcher in MLB history to throw at least six innings against Minnesota without allowing a hit.
The rest of the group is comprised of Martín Pérez, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Jered Weaver, Rich Harden, David Wells, Nolan Ryan, Steve Stone, Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter.
Dodgers pitchers part of rare history vs. Twins
Eric Lauer: June 22, 2026
Lauer limited the Twins to just three baserunners — all walks — and collected two strikeouts in his six stellar innings at Target Field. It was a far cry from when Lauer faced the Twins back in April as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, when he allowed seven runs over 5.1 innings and took the loss.
After Lauer was removed from the game, Kyle Hurt and Tanner Scott each contributed a scoreless frame to help the Dodgers record their MLB-best 50th win of the season.
Lauer has been a revelation since joining the Dodgers last month as he is now 2-0 with a 2.54 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 28.1 innings across five appearances (four starts).
Clayton Kershaw: April 13, 2022
Kershaw began his 2022 season with seven perfect innings against the Twins at Target Field. He was six outs away from potentially making MLB history, but manager Dave Roberts removed him despite having thrown only 80 pitches.
Roberts was looking to protect Kershaw, who missed the entire 2021 postseason due to left forearm discomfort. He did not resume throwing until January 2022 and was unable to fully ramp up before the start of the regular season as a result of the shortened Spring Training that stemmed from a lockout.
“Felt like we made the right choice in the moment, and obviously you wake up the next morning and think, ‘What if?’” Kershaw said days after his bid for history was cut short.
“But at the end of the day, in the moment, it felt like the right decision. Can’t go back now. It’s a special thing. I don’t take them for granted. I understand the history of the game and understand there’s only been 20-something in history. I get that.
“But I said it the other day, the individual stuff is not why I continue to play the game. I want to win, so that supersedes anything.”
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