The opening game that could decide the 2026 Korean baseball playoff, a best-of-five series, is just ahead. Because short series often turn on the first result, the Samsung Lions and the KIA Tigers are each sending out their most reliable foreign ace to seize early control of the race for a Korean Series berth.
Game 1 between Samsung and KIA will be held at 2 p.m. on the 25th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, according to the Korea Baseball Organization on the 23rd.
Samsung picked Chris Fedde, 30, of the United States, to take the mound. Joining the team midway through the season, he went 7-3 with a 2.95 earned run average. His strengths are a heavy fastball that hovers around 150 kilometers per hour and a strong ability to suppress contact.
Against KIA in the regular season, however, he struggled somewhat, going 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA over two starts.
Fedde sharpened his game feel in a recent intrasquad game, throwing four scoreless innings and topping out at 150.1 kph. He is determined to shed his weakness against KIA and get the postseason off to a good start. He also posted on social media that he could not wait for Sunday to come.
Facing him is KIA's James Naile, 33, of the United States, known as a big-game hunter. Naile, who led KIA to the 2024 Korean Series title, went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in four games against Samsung this season, establishing himself as a pitcher tailored to beating them. His signature sweeper, a slider-type breaking pitch with a wide horizontal break, and his ability to induce ground balls are powerful weapons to neutralize the hitter-friendly dimensions of Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Beyond his championship experience, Naile also carries the confidence of a strong outing in Game 1 of the first-round playoff against the LG Twins on the 17th of this month, when he allowed one run on four hits over seven innings.