[KBO Review] Iron Wall Mound After 10-Day Rest... KIA Tames Samsung, Maintains 5-Game Gap with Hanwha

The KIA Tigers leveraged their overwhelming pitching power after a 10-day rest to defeat the Samsung Lions 3-1.

In the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game held at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on the 11th, KIA secured their 53rd win of the season against 2 draws and 46 losses, solidifying their 5th-place standing. With this result, they extended their lead over the 6th-place Hanwha Eagles to 5 games. Meanwhile, the defeated Samsung fell into a 3-game losing streak, recording 59 wins, 2 draws, and 40 losses for the season.

The most significant highlight of this game was KIA's first-round draft pick, left-hander Lee Eui-ri, recording his first professional save. Under KIA's 'closer-by-committee' system, which deploys bullpen arms based on game situations rather than relying on a specific closer, Lee took the mound in the top of the 9th inning against a Samsung lineup concentrated with left-handed hitters. He retired Koo Ja-wook, Choi Hyung-woo, and Lewin Diaz in order with a center field fly, a center field fly, and a strikeout, respectively, cleanly closing the game with one hitless inning, one strikeout, and no runs allowed.

After the game, Lee expressed his thoughts, stating he was happy to win after a long break, and credited the result to staying in good shape and focusing on training during the heatwave-induced rest period. He mentioned feeling nervous before taking the mound in the 9th inning, but all tension dissolved the moment he threw his first pitch. He added that although he faced difficult batters, he tried to overcome the pressure by following the lead of senior catcher Kim Tae-gun. Furthermore, rather than dwelling on his first career save, he expressed admiration for his senior teammate Jung Hae-young's 150-save milestone and resolved to become a pitcher who fulfills his role in any situation.

Oler Reaches 10 Wins... Kim Tae-gun's 3-RBI Heroics

KIA's lineup seized the initiative in the bottom of the 2nd inning. With a chance at 1st and 3rd base with one out, created by consecutive hits from Na Seong-beom and Kim Seon-bin and a sacrifice bunt by Ha Ju-seok, Kim Tae-gun hit a double to left field, bringing both runners home. In the bottom of the 4th, Kim added a sacrifice fly to center field, extending the lead to 3-0. All 3 runs scored by KIA that day were driven in by Kim Tae-gun.

Samsung managed to narrow the deficit to one run in the top of the 5th inning with a double by Lee Jae-hyun and an RBI single by Ryu Ji-hyeok. Samsung starter Chris Flexen fought hard, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks with 9 strikeouts over 7 innings, but suffered his 2nd loss (2 wins) of the season due to a lack of run support.

On the other hand, KIA starter Adam Oler pitched brilliantly, allowing 1 run on 4 hits with 6 strikeouts over 6 innings to achieve his 10th win (8 losses) of the season, tying for the league lead in wins. Following him, Jeon Sang-hyun (7th inning) and Jo Sang-woo (8th inning) each pitched a scoreless inning to completely shut down Samsung's comeback attempt.

After the game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho expressed satisfaction with Lee Eui-ri's 9th-inning appearance, stating that rather than using him strictly as a closer, the plan was to deploy him from the 7th inning onward when facing the opponent's core lineup. Catcher Kim Tae-gun also highly praised Lee Eui-ri's fastball velocity and focus.