The first game of this playoff series had the feel of a statement rather than a start. In a meeting that brought together the last three KBO champions, the KIA Tigers answered an early deficit, leaned on a strong outing from James Naile and rode Do-yeong Kim’s power to a 5-1 win over the LG Twins in Gwangju on Saturday.
That result matters immediately. KIA now leads the series 1-0, and LG must win three of the next four games to stay alive. Against a defending champion, that is a steep climb, especially when the Tigers already look comfortable in this matchup.
Kim turns a tight game into a KIA edge
LG struck first when Chan-eui Song hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning for a 1-0 lead. KIA answered right away. Harold Castro homered in the bottom of the second to tie the game 1-1, and from there the tone changed.
Do-yeong Kim then took over the game in the way MVP candidates are supposed to. He hit a 410-foot home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give KIA a 2-1 lead, added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 3-1, and then crushed his second 410-foot home run of the night in the eighth inning to push the Tigers ahead 5-1. He finished with two home runs and three runs batted in, the kind of line that can decide a postseason game before the final out is even recorded.
The power is one thing. The timing is what made it so damaging for LG. Kim did not just pad the score after KIA had taken control; he created the separation that forced LG to chase. In a playoff setting, that changes the entire shape of the game.
Naile steadies the middle innings
James Naile did not need to dominate every inning to help KIA win, but he did need to keep the game from tilting back toward LG when the chance was there. In the sixth inning, after allowing the first two batters to reach base, he worked out of the jam and kept the Twins from turning a one-run game into something more dangerous.
Naile’s final line reflected that control: seven innings, four hits, one run and six strikeouts. It was exactly the kind of outing a postseason team wants from its starter — not flashy in every moment, but steady enough to protect the lead and keep the bullpen from having to do too much.
That stability mattered because KIA never gave LG a second crack at the lead. Once Kim delivered the go-ahead homer, the Tigers played with the confidence of a team that knew its offense could still add on.
A familiar result, and a warning for LG
The Tigers’ continued dominance over the Twins was part of the story here, too. This was not just a Game 1 win; it was another reminder that KIA can still control this matchup when it gets the kind of production that makes a playoff game feel one-sided. Austin Dean of the Twins and Kim of the Tigers entered as leading MVP candidates, but on this night, Kim separated himself with the decisive swings.
For LG, the problem is bigger than one loss. The Twins now face the pressure of needing three wins in four games, and they must find a way to slow a KIA lineup that already showed it can answer an early punch, protect a lead and extend it when the game is still within reach. For KIA, the message was simpler: Game 1 looked like the kind of playoff performance that can set the tone for an entire series.
