James Naile, Harold Castro Push KIA One Game Clear in KBO Third-Place Race

The KIA Tigers moved one game clear in the fight for the KBO League’s final direct semi-playoff berth on Friday, beating the NC Dinos 7-2 in Changwon as James Naile delivered seven strong innings and Harold Castro broke the game open with a three-run homer in the ninth.

KIA improved to 77-62-2 and strengthened its hold on third place after the LG Twins lost 9-1 to the Lotte Giants in Busan. LG fell to 77-64-1, leaving the Tigers with a one-game advantage in a race that determines which club advances directly to the semi-playoff and which must begin the postseason in the wild-card round.

Naile settles after early home run

KIA scored first when Na Sung-bum singled home Castro in the opening inning, but NC answered immediately. Kim Joo-won led off the bottom half with a single before Cheon Jae-hwan drove Naile’s 148-kilometre-per-hour two-seam fastball over the left-field wall for a 125-metre, two-run homer.

That was the last damage Naile allowed. The right-hander held NC scoreless over his next six innings, mixing his two-seamer with a sweeper, cutter and changeup. He finished with seven strikeouts while allowing four hits, three walks and two runs across seven innings and 87 pitches.

The outing gave Naile his 13th win of the season against seven losses. It also carried extra weight because KIA’s remaining schedule offers little recovery time: the Tigers are completing four games in four days while trying to stay ahead of LG.

KIA turns the game in the middle innings

KIA pulled even in the fourth. Castro singled, advanced as Na Sung-bum grounded out and reached third on Kim Sun-bin’s hit before Kim Ho-ryeong brought him home with a single to centre.

The decisive run came in the sixth. With runners at the corners and two outs, NC starter Koo Chang-mo threw a wild pitch that allowed Na Sung-bum to score and put KIA ahead 3-2. Koo worked six innings, surrendering eight hits and three runs.

Kim Sun-bin added breathing room with an RBI double in the eighth. Castro then removed the remaining tension in the ninth, turning on Jeon Sa-min’s 147 km/h two-seamer and sending it 125 metres over the centre-field fence with two runners aboard.

Jeon Sang-hyun covered the final two innings without allowing a run and earned his third save.

Third place now in KIA’s hands

KIA can now clinch third place with two wins from its final three games, regardless of LG’s results. The Tigers host the SSG Landers on Saturday and Lotte on Sunday before closing the regular season against LG in Gwangju on Monday.

The importance of third place goes beyond seeding. The third-place club receives several days of rest before the semi-playoff, while the fourth-place finisher must face the fifth-place Doosan Bears in the wild-card round almost immediately after the regular season ends.

Naile and Castro gave KIA control of that race on Friday. The Tigers still have work to finish, but after an early deficit in Changwon and LG’s heavy loss in Busan, the path to the direct berth is now theirs to protect.