Gwangju:Daegu With their best-of-five series in the South Korean baseball postseason tied at one game each, the Samsung Lions and the Kia Tigers are gearing up for a critical matchup. Both teams will start right-handed pitchers who have much to prove in this pivotal game.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the series, part of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason, began with the two clubs splitting the first two games in Daegu. The Kia Tigers secured a 5-1 victory in the opening game on Monday, but the Samsung Lions bounced back with an 8-3 win the following day at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
The series will now shift to the Tigers' home in Gwangju for Games 3 and 4, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, with both games starting at 630 p.m. The Tigers will send Japanese right-hander Keisho Shirakawa to the mound for the third game, while the Lions will counter with right-hander Choi Won-tae.
Shirakawa impressed in his KBO postseason debut against the LG Twins, limiting them to one run on four hits over five innings and striking out nine. Despite the Tigers' 13-1 victory that overshadowed his performance, his manager, Lee Bum-ho, praised Shirakawa for exceeding expectations. Shirakawa will aim to demonstrate that his previous outing was not a one-time success.
In contrast, Choi's postseason record has been inconsistent, with a daunting 11.16 ERA in 18 previous playoff games until last year. However, he delivered six shutout innings against the SSG Landers in the first round of 2025 and followed that with a strong seven-inning performance against the Hanwha Eagles. Choi will need to maintain this form, having struggled against the Tigers in regular season meetings with an 8.10 ERA.
The winner of this series will progress to the Korean Series. Historically, in the past 16 instances when this round was tied at 1-1, the team that won the third game advanced nine times.