3-for-4, 3 RBIs earns Castro MVP honors; starter Naile ejected after hit-by-pitch in 4⅓ strong innings

KIA Tigers' Harold Castro hits a single with two outs in the top of the fifth inning during Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason playoff against the Samsung Lions at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Monday. [Yonhap]
KIA Tigers' Harold Castro hits a single with two outs in the top of the fifth inning during Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason playoff against the Samsung Lions at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Monday. [Yonhap]

The KIA Tigers rode a standout two-way performance from Harold Castro to defeat the Samsung Lions in Game 1 of their best-of-five playoff series.

KIA beat Samsung 5-1 Monday at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu in the opening game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason playoff, with Castro and Han Jun-su each hitting home runs to power the offense.

In best-of-five playoff history, the Game 1 winner has advanced to the Korean Series in 27 of 35 series — a rate of 77.1 percent.

The game tilted KIA's way from the start. In the top of the first, Kim Do-young drew a walk and stole second with two outs, and Castro followed with an RBI single to right to put KIA on the board. Na Sung-bum then doubled down the left-field line to make it 2-0.

Castro made his presence felt on defense in the bottom of the first as well. With a runner on first and nobody out, he fielded a sharp grounder off the bat of Samsung's Kim Seong-yun, threw to shortstop Ha Ju-seok, and hustled back to first in time to complete a 3-6-3 double play.

The contrast with Samsung first baseman Lewin Diaz was stark: in the top of the first, Diaz had failed to make an aggressive play on Castro's batted ball as it skipped past him.

Castro kept producing. In the top of the third, with two outs and a runner on first, he launched a two-run homer to right-center off Samsung starter Chris Paddack to push the lead to 4-0. Han Jun-su added a solo shot to right-center in the fourth to stretch the margin to five runs.

KIA Tigers starter James Naile pitches during the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 1 of the 2026 KBO postseason playoff against the Samsung Lions at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Monday. [Yonhap]
KIA Tigers starter James Naile pitches during the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 1 of the 2026 KBO postseason playoff against the Samsung Lions at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Monday. [Yonhap]

KIA starter James Naile was dominant through 4⅓ innings, allowing just one hit, before being ejected in the bottom of the fifth after hitting Park Seung-gyu in the helmet with a pitch. He had thrown 57 pitches at the time.

Samsung cut the deficit to 5-1 on an RBI single to left by Kim Yeong-ung off reliever Jeong Hae-yeong, but could not add any more runs. KIA then turned to Lee Eui-ri, Jo Sang-woo, Gwak Do-gyu and Jeon Sang-hyeon in succession to close out the win.

Samsung starter Paddack was roughed up for five runs in 4⅔ innings, and the Lions managed only two hits on the day. Castro, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, was named the game's most valuable player.

The victory snapped a five-game playoff losing streak for KIA dating back to Game 4 of their 2002 playoff series against the LG Twins. It also extended the Tigers' postseason winning streak to six games, a run that began with Game 4 of the 2024 Korean Series.

The two teams meet again Tuesday at the same venue for Game 2. Samsung has named Ariel Jurado as their starter, while KIA will send out Adam Oller.

Jurado made one start against KIA at his home park in Daegu this season, going seven innings and allowing three runs. He has gone winless in four career postseason appearances through last year, posting three losses and a 4.29 ERA, and will be looking for his first postseason victory.

Oller went 2-1 with a 5.79 ERA against Samsung in the regular season. He was sharp at home in Gwangju, allowing just one run over 13 innings across two starts, but was knocked around for eight runs in a single inning during a road start in Daegu on July 28.


yjc@heraldcorp.com