‘초대형 만루포’로 준PO 끝낸 김도영 “PO와 KS에서도 잘하겠다”

The Kia Tigers and the LG Twins, the two teams that have combined to win the past three South Korean baseball championships, will renew their postseason rivalry starting this weekend. The two clubs will face each other in a best-of-five semi-final round for the first time in 10 years, with the opening game set for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Tigers' home field, Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, located approximately 270 kilometers south of Seoul. The Twins are the defending Korean Series champions and also won the 2023 title, aiming to become the first team since the 2015-2016 Doosan Bears to capture consecutive Korean Series titles. The Tigers claimed the 2024 Korean Series title but missed the postseason in 2025. The Tigers will host the first two games, with the second game scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. The series will move to the Twins' home stadium, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, for Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and, if needed, Game 4 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. A potential fifth game would take place in Gwangju on 6:30 p.m. next Friday. The Tigers announced that James Naile will start Game 1. The right-handed pitcher had a 13-7 record and a 3.49 ERA in 31 regular-season starts, setting personal bests with 183 innings pitched and 156 strikeouts. He played a crucial role in the Tigers' 2024 Korean Series victory, posting a 2.53 ERA in two starts against the Samsung Lions. This year, Naile went 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA in three starts against the Twins. The Twins plan to respond with right-hander Anders Tolhurst, who had a 12-11 record and a 4.24 ERA in 30 regular-season starts. Tolhurst struggled against the Tigers this year, going 1-3 with a 6.20 ERA in five starts. However, he demonstrated clutch performance in last year’s Korean Series, winning both of his starts, including the decisive Game 5 against the Hanwha Eagles, allowing only three earned runs in 13 innings combined. The Tigers and the Twins competed for the No. 3 seed and a bye to the first round until the final day of the regular season. The Tigers secured the third seed with a 4-2 victory over the Twins on Monday in Gwangju, where All-Star slugger Kim Do-yeong hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Twins took the fourth place and had to defeat the Doosan Bears 4-1 on Wednesday in the wild card game to advance to this stage. The Tigers won the season series 9-7-0 (wins-losses-ties), including the final four meetings against the Twins, all of which occurred in October. They swept the Twins in a three-game series at Jamsil from October 3 to 5 to move up from fourth to third place, followed by the win on the last day of the regular season. Kim, a strong contender for the regular-season MVP after leading the KBO with 45 home runs and ranking among the leaders in several other categories, batted only .208 in 15 games against the Twins this year, his lowest batting average against any opponent in 2026, but managed to hit four home runs. Kim will receive strong support from teammates such as Harold Castro, who hit 21 home runs despite missing many games due to injuries, and Na Sung-bum, who finished second to Kim with 31 home runs, his most in five years. Sophomore outfielder Park Jae-hyun contributed significantly with 19 home runs and 21 steals this year. The Tigers recorded the KBO's highest slugging percentage at .435. The Twins have their own 40-home run hitter in Austin Dean, who narrowly trailed Kim in the home run race, finishing with 41 home runs. However, no other Twin reached 20 home runs, and the Twins were generally an average offensive team compared to the Tigers. The Tigers defeated the Twins 13-1 in the third game of the semifinal series on October 20 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Kim Do-yeong hit a grand slam in the second inning, contributing to a dominant performance that saw the Tigers sweep the series. The win marked the end of the Twins' regular-season home games at Jamsil, which will close its doors after 44 years following the loss. Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho expressed confidence ahead of the playoffs against the Samsung Lions, stating that the team would approach the series as underdogs and aim to play aggressively. He noted that the team had prepared well for the playoffs, emphasizing the importance of maintaining focus and avoiding pressure from the fans in Daegu. LG Twins manager Yang Kyung-sub acknowledged the team's shortcomings and expressed regret for not meeting fan expectations this season. He highlighted the growth of players such as Song Chan and Moon Jeong-bin, emphasizing the need for improved preparation and effort moving forward. Kim Do-yeong, who received the series MVP award after hitting a grand slam and a home run in the series, expressed determination to perform well in the upcoming playoff rounds. He emphasized the importance of maintaining composure and focusing on the task at hand, acknowledging the challenge posed by the Samsung Lions and his former teammate Choi Hyun-woo.