(ATTN: ADDS details from para 6, photos)
By Yoo Jee-ho
GWANGJU, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- Slugger Kim Do-yeong homered twice and drove in four runs, while starter James Naile tossed seven innings of one-run ball, as the Kia Tigers rallied past the LG Twins 5-1 to begin their South Korean baseball postseason series at home Saturday.
Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the LG Twins during Game 1 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)
Kim smacked a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie and then drove in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. Kim then put an exclamation mark with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
Naile held the Twins to a run on four hits over seven effective innings in front of a sellout crowd of 18,000.
Game 2 is 2 p.m. Sunday at the same Gwangju stadium.
In the past 10 editions of the best-of-five first round, teams that claimed the first game went on to win the series nine times.
Kia Tigers starter James Naile pitches against the LG Twins during Game 1 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)
The Twins struck first in the top of the second inning. With two outs, Song Chan-eui jumped on a hanging sweeper from Naile and put it in the seats in left field for a solo home run.
But the Tigers responded right away in the bottom second, as Harold Castro led off with a solo home run off starter Anders Tolhurst.
The Tigers went ahead with another home run, this time a solo shot by Kim Do-yeong in the bottom fourth.
Kim ambushed Tolhurst on a first-pitch fastball that caught too much of the plate and sent it 124 meters into the left-field stands.
The Twins were gifted an opportunity in the top fifth. With one out, Park Dong-won sent a routine fly to left-center field what would have been an easy out. Left fielder Park Jae-hyun raised his left arm to call off center fielder Kim Ho-ryung, who apparently did not see the move and ended up bumping into his teammate. Park Jae-hyun dropped the ball for an error that put Park Dong-won at first.
Harold Castro of the Kia Tigers celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the LG Twins during Game 1 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)
The Twins failed to capitalize, however, as Gu Bon-hyeok flied out and Hong Chang-ki grounded out to end the inning.
The Twins then let Naile off the hook in the top sixth after Park Hae-min opened the frame with a double. Dean got an intentional walk, but with two men on, cleanup Moon Jeong-bin struck out before Moon Bo-gyeong grounded into a 4-6-3 rally-killing double play.
Then defense betrayed the Twins in the bottom sixth.
Left fielder Song Chan-eui dropped an easy flyball off the bat of Park Jae-hyun, and third baseman Moon Bo-gyeong booted a grounder hit right at him by Kim Sun-bin.
That play chased Tolhurst from the game, with Kim Do-yeong due up next.
Facing new pitcher Woo Kang-hoon, Kim fell just short of his second home run of the game, but his flyball to the warning track in right-center field was deep enough to score Park from third to make it a 3-1 game.
With Naile done, the Tigers used three relievers to keep the Twins off the board in the top eighth, with Jeon Sang-hyun retiring Moon Jeong-bin on a deep fly to center when the Twins had two runners on.
Kim Do-yeong then put the icing on the cake with his two-run shot in the bottom eighth off reliever Jang Hyun-sik.
Jeon came back out for the ninth to get the final three outs.
Kia Tigers players celebrate their 5-1 win over the LG Twins in Game 1 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)