Chris Paddack Faces James Naile in KBO Playoff Opener

Samsung Lions right-hander Chris Paddack will face KIA Tigers ace James Naile in Game 1 of the KBO playoffs on Sunday, October 25, with a place in the Korean Series on the line. The confirmed pitching matchup puts two former Major Leaguers on the mound in Daegu, but their records against the opposing lineup tell sharply different stories.

First pitch at Daegu Samsung Lions Park is scheduled for 2 p.m. local time. The winner of the best-of-five series advances to meet regular-season champion KT Wiz.

Paddack gets the ball despite his struggles against KIA

Paddack, who joined Samsung in July, finished the regular season 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 76⅓ innings across 13 appearances, including 12 starts. Those numbers helped the Lions secure second place and a direct berth in the playoff round.

Yet KIA proved to be his toughest opponent. In two starts against the Tigers, Paddack went 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA. He allowed six runs over five innings on July 30, then gave up three runs—only one earned—across seven innings on August 11. Kim Do-yeong and Kim Tae-gun both homered against him during the regular season.

Samsung is betting on Paddack’s broader body of work rather than those two results. The right-hander now gets an opportunity to change the matchup’s direction on the postseason stage.

Naile brings proven postseason form

Naile enters the opener with a stronger recent record against Samsung: 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA, 19 strikeouts and five walks over 25 innings in four regular-season meetings.

He also delivered when KIA needed him in the previous round, limiting the LG Twins to one run on four hits across seven innings in a 5-1 Game 1 victory on October 17. KIA went on to sweep the defending champions, powered in part by Kim Do-yeong’s three home runs in the series.

Naile already knows the pressure of a KBO championship run. He posted a 2.53 ERA in two starts as KIA defeated Samsung in the 2024 Korean Series.

Why the opening game matters

The Lions finished 83-58-3 in the regular season; the Tigers went 79-63-2 before advancing through the first postseason round. Samsung has had extra rest, while KIA arrives with momentum from its sweep of LG.

History gives Sunday’s winner a meaningful edge. According to KBO postseason records cited by Yonhap, teams winning Game 1 have taken 27 of the previous 35 best-of-five series at this stage—approximately 77 percent.

For Paddack, the assignment is to solve the one lineup that repeatedly troubled him. For Naile, it is a chance to extend his success against Samsung and move KIA another step toward a return to the Korean Series.