Battle of right-handers set for opening game of Korean Series
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- The opening game of the South Korean baseball championship series this week will feature a duel of two right-handed starting pitchers.
The KT Wiz and the Samsung Lions will go toe-to-toe in the best-of-seven Korean Series, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Wiz's home, KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.
Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul announced American right-hander Davis Daniel as his Game 1 starter during the Korean Series media day Monday in Suwon. Lions manager Park Jin-man revealed right-hander Choi Won-tae as his starter of the first game.
KT Wiz starter Davis Daniel pitches against the Kia Tigers during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju, in this Sept. 30, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)
Daniel signed with the Wiz in July as a replacement for the slumping pitcher Matt Sauer and posted a 5-2 record with a 2.13 ERA in 10 regular-season starts.
Daniel excelled at KT Wiz Park, going 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in five outings at his home park.
He did not face the Lions during the regular season, and the Wiz are hoping that unfamiliarity will work in their favor.
"We had a chance to test Daniel against the Lions at the end of the regular season, but we decided not to show him against them," Lee said. "He has pitched himself into the No. 1 job for us over the course of the season."
Choi will be pitching in his eighth Korean Series game. In seven previous games, Choi gave up 12 runs -- one unearned -- on 11 hits and eight walks in seven innings for a 14.14 ERA.
He also struggled in his most recent postseason start last Thursday against the Kia Tigers, when he allowed two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings and got an early hook.
Samsung Lions starter Choi Won-tae pitches against the Kia Tigers during Game 3 of the second round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 29, 2026. (Yonhap)
The Lions had to burn their top two starters, Chris Paddack and Ariel Jurado, in the final two games of the Tigers series just to get to this point. With another starter, Won Tae-in, now pitching out of the bullpen, Choi was the only starter available for the Game 1 assignment.
"He struggled a little bit in the last series, but he has a ton of experience," Park said of Choi. "He has been a consistent starter throughout his career."
Choi went 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA in two regular-season starts against the Wiz this year. He gave up nine earned runs on 13 hits in 11 2/3 innings while striking out 12, walking seven and hitting two batters.
Kim Hyun-soo, the all-time KBO postseason leader in games played, hits and RBIs, batted 3-for-6 with three RBIs against Choi.
In the 42 previous Korean Series, teams that won the first game went on to win the title 31 times.
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