KIA Tigers beat the Samsung Lions 5-1 in Game 1 of the KBO playoff series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on Monday, winning despite losing starting pitcher James Nail to a sudden ejection in the fifth inning, according to 뉴스핌.
The victory gives KIA four straight wins in the postseason, following a three-game sweep in the previous round, and puts the club in a strong position to reach the Korean Series in the best-of-five series.
Why it matters
KIA led 5-0 through five innings behind Nail's pitching and a two-run home run by Harold Castro, but the game turned when Nail hit Samsung's Park Seung-gyu in the head with a pitch with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Under the headshot rule, the starter was removed immediately.
The moment tested KIA's bullpen earlier than planned. 뉴스핌 reports that Jung Hae-young was the first reliever to move, taking the mound without a full warm-up and limiting the damage to a single inherited run. Manager Lee Beom-ho later credited him for steadying a tense situation.
An 11-pitch battle to end the inning
Jung entered with two outs and a runner on second and gave up an RBI single to Kim Young-woo that scored Nail's remaining runner. He then ended the inning by striking out Lee Jae-hyun on a swing after an 11-pitch at-bat with a runner on first, per 뉴스핌.
Lee said after the game that the club had already mapped out how it would use its relievers if Nail lasted around five innings, so the sudden change did not disrupt the plan. The manager noted that Nail's pitch count had him in line to work into the seventh, which is why Jung had not been warming up beforehand.
According to 뉴스핌, Lee praised Jung for showing his best stuff despite the rushed entry and for avoiding further damage, and said the time Jung spent on the mound allowed other relievers, including Lee Eui-ri and Sung Young-tak, to get loose.
Lee Eui-ri, who came on later and earned the win in relief, described the scramble in the bullpen. He told reporters he had been in a room without a television and did not see the play, but saw his teammates rush out. He credited Jung's experience for getting him ready and out to the mound first, and said the relievers prepare on their own and wait for the call, thanking them for handling that part of the job.
What to watch
KIA's ability to absorb an unexpected loss on the mound and still protect a lead was the story of Game 1, and it gives the team confidence in its relief corps for the rest of the series. The next question is how the rotation and bullpen are managed after Nail's early exit, with Game 2 to show whether the club can carry that depth forward.
