The KIA Tigers shook off a ten-day layoff caused by a heat wave and secured a dramatic victory. On the 11th, KIA defeated the Samsung Lions 3-1 in the 12th regular-season meeting between the two teams in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field. With the win, KIA improved to 53 wins, 46 losses, and 2 ties (a .535 winning percentage), firmly holding onto 5th place and extending their lead to 5 games over the 6th-place Hanwha Eagles, who lost on the same day.

Oller Reaches 10 Wins to Tie for League Lead... Lee Eui-ri Earns First Career Save KIA's mound led the team to victory with a flawless tandem effort from the starter and the bullpen. Starting pitcher Adam Oller delivered a stellar performance, giving up one run on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts over six innings, picking up his 10th win (8 losses) of the season. With this, he moved into a three-way tie for the most wins in the league alongside Im Chan-kyu (LG) and Wang Yan-cheng (Hanwha).

The bullpen was equally solid. Jeon Sang-hyeon and Jo Sang-woo each tossed a scoreless inning to shut down Samsung's comeback attempts. In particular, Lee Eui-ri, who recently transitioned from the starting rotation to the bullpen, took the mound in the top of the 9th and retired Samsung's left-handed core hitters in order, capturing his first save in his sixth professional season in a milestone moment.

Game-Winning Hit from Kim Tae-gun, Focused Offense Overshadows Pidock's Strong Outing At the plate, veteran catcher Kim Tae-gun played a decisive role in the team's victory, driving in three runs on one hit in one at-bat. In the bottom of the 2nd, after back-to-back hits from Na Seong-beom and Kim Seon-bin and a sacrifice bunt by Ha Joo-seok put runners on second and third with one out, Kim Tae-gun lined a double to left field off Samsung starter Chris Pidock, bringing both runners home. In the bottom of the 4th, with runners on second and third and one out, Kim added a sacrifice fly to center field, extending KIA's lead to 3-0.

Samsung scored a run in the top of the 5th on a double by Lee Jae-hyeon and an RBI single by Ryu Ji-hyeok, but they failed to add any more runs, falling into a three-game losing streak. Their season record now stands at 59 wins, 40 losses, and 2 ties. Samsung's Chris Pidock pitched well, giving up three runs on four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts over seven innings, but he suffered his second loss (2 wins) of the season due to a lack of run support.

Manager Lee Beom-ho: "Concentration Shined in Crucial Moments" In a postgame interview, manager Lee Beom-ho evaluated the performance, saying, "Since it had been a while since we played a game, the batters didn't get many hits, but their concentration to score runs in crucial moments was excellent." He added, "Kim Tae-gun stably led the pitching staff and delivered with three RBIs, including the game-winning hit. Ha Joo-seok also contributed with a sacrifice bunt and a hit." Regarding the decision to bring in Lee Eui-ri in the 9th inning, he explained, "We planned to bring in Lee Eui-ri if the core of the lineup came up after the 7th inning, and he pitched exactly as we expected."

Starting Lineups and Key Notes KIA's starting lineup featured Park Jae-hyeon (LF), Harold Castro (1B), Kim Do-yeong (3B), Na Seong-beom (RF), Kim Seon-bin (2B), Ha Joo-seok (SS), Oh Seon-u (DH), Kim Tae-gun (C), and Ho Ryeong (CF). Oh Seon-u was included in the lineup for the first time since returning.

Samsung countered with Kim Ji-chan (CF), Kim Seong-yun (RF), Koo Ja-wook (LF), Choi Hyeong-woo (DH), Lewin Diaz (1B), Lee Jae-hyeon (SS), Kim Yeong-ung (3B), Ryu Ji-hyeok (2B), and Kim Do-hwan (C). Meanwhile, Samsung strengthened their bullpen by registering their new Asian Quota pitcher, Satoshi Miyamori, to the first team roster.

The two teams are scheduled to play the second game of the series on the 12th, with KIA sending James Nail to the mound as their starter and Samsung countering with Austin Voth.