A $473,333 Upset: Chris Paddack's 2.25 ERA Against His Salary as Samsung Retakes First Place

A replacement foreign pitcher signed in July sealed the first-versus-second showdown. Samsung beat KT 4-2 to reclaim first place in the KBO after 29 days.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

"Daegu, I will bring a championship to this city." That is what Paddack said after the August 29 game. It was bold talk for a foreign pitcher who had not even been with the team for two months, but the stat line backed it up that day: 6 innings, 102 pitches, 6 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, no runs. It was his 4th win of the season, and the game put Samsung back in first place in the KBO. A replacement player signed for $473,333 made it happen.

Samsung 4, KT 2: A 0.5-Game Lead Holds Despite Oh Yun-seok's Two-Run Homer in the 9th

A night game scene at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, with a right-handed pitcher releasing the ball right after his windup and the scoreboard showing 4-2 — Chris Paddack on the mound / Graphic = Whale SV

First and second place met in Daegu. According to official KBO records, the August 29 game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park ended in a 4-2 Samsung win. KT pulled within two runs on pinch hitter Oh Yun-seok's two-run homer in the 9th, but got no closer. The go-ahead hit came from Koo Ja-wook (33), a one-club man and the 2015 Rookie of the Year. He is a hitter who has won the Golden Glove in the outfield category alone four times.

News1 reported that with this win Samsung won its fifth straight game and, since July 31, retook first place after 29 days. As of 16:00 on August 30, 2026, Samsung stood at 68 wins, 44 losses and 3 ties with a .607 winning percentage, and KT at 66 wins, 43 losses and 3 ties with a .606 winning percentage.

Rank	Team	Record	Win pct.	Games behind Samsung
1	Samsung	68 W, 44 L, 3 T	0.607	— (5 straight wins)
2	KT	66 W, 43 L, 3 T	0.606	0.5 games
3	KIA	63 W, 50 L, 2 T	0.558	5.5 games
4	LG	64 W, 51 L, 1 T	0.557	5.5 games
5	Doosan	60 W, 52 L, 4 T	0.536	8 games

Third-place KIA and fourth-place LG trail Samsung by 5.5 games. That effectively means only two teams remain in the title race. In head-to-head games between those two, Samsung leads 9-3 (KBO head-to-head record table, as of 16:00 on August 30, 2026). A 0.5-game gap also means KT has won that many games against other teams.

Chris Paddack Stats: 2.25 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 7 Games

According to his KBO player record page, Paddack's 2026 season line is 7 games, 4 wins and 2 losses, a 2.25 ERA, 49 strikeouts in 44 innings, a 0.84 WHIP and 6 quality starts (as of 16:00 on August 30, 2026). That means in 6 of his 7 starts he went 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs or fewer. He has allowed 0.84 baserunners per inning, fewer than one per inning.

These numbers become clearer when set beside his MLB years. According to his official MLB profile, he has a career record of 132 games, 32 wins and 43 losses, a 4.83 ERA, and 569 strikeouts in 638.2 innings. His 2.25 in the KBO is 2.58 lower than his career 4.83.

The leagues are different, so the numbers cannot be compared directly. Still, 6 quality starts in 7 appearances exceeds what is expected of a replacement foreign pitcher. There is also evidence pointing the other way. 44 innings is nowhere near enough to qualify for the ERA title. The records are also displayed inconsistently. The KBO English summary page showed a 2.61 ERA over 6 games, without the August 29 game, and only the Korean record page had been updated to 2.25.

Chris Paddack's Salary: $473,333 from Samsung vs. $4 million from the Marlins

The money makes it more interesting. On July 11, 2026, Samsung announced it had signed Paddack for a total of $473,333 (about 710 million won). That is the amount for the remainder of the season. However, that same year he signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Miami Marlins, and that money is guaranteed even after his release (Spotrac tally, AP report). What Samsung is paying is about 1/8 of that.

In January 2023, the Minnesota Twins signed him to a three-year, $12,525,000 extension. A pitcher who has had contracts in the $10 million range is now pitching in Daegu for $470,000. His own explanation was this: "The Samsung Lions, who are competing for first place, felt appealing to me." He said this in an official interview with the club.

Category	Amount	Period	Announced by
Samsung contract total	$473,333	Remainder of 2026 season	Samsung Lions (July 11, 2026)
Marlins salary	$4 million	2026 season	AP, Spotrac
Twins extension	$12,525,000	2023–2025	Twins, AP (January 18, 2023)

Born on January 8, 1996, he is 30 years old as of August 30, 2026. He was drafted in the 8th round in 2015, made his debut with San Diego in 2019, and came to Daegu in July by way of Minnesota. Manager Park Jin-man's (49) Samsung now has to protect the 0.5-game lead. Paddack put it this way: "Daegu, I will bring a championship to this city."

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Chris Paddack's salary?

The Samsung Lions announced on July 11, 2026 that they had signed him for a total of $473,333 (about 710 million won). That amount covers the remainder of the 2026 season, and his KBO registered salary is the same $473,333. Separately, his $4 million contract for the 2026 season with the Miami Marlins remains guaranteed even after his release.

Q. How old is Chris Paddack?

He was born on January 8, 1996, and is 30 years old as of August 30, 2026. He is an American right-handed starting pitcher and wears number 59 for Samsung.

Q. How have Chris Paddack's numbers been in the KBO?

As of 16:00 on August 30, 2026, he has 7 games, 4 wins and 2 losses, a 2.25 ERA, 49 strikeouts in 44 innings, a 0.84 WHIP and 6 quality starts. His MLB career totals are 132 games, 32 wins and 43 losses, a 4.83 ERA, and 569 strikeouts in 638.2 innings.

Related Official Sites

KBO Team Standings — Samsung's and KT's games behind and winning percentages are updated right after games end
KBO Paddack Player Record — original start-by-start records of innings, earned runs and strikeouts
Samsung Lions Official Website — roster news and official club announcements
MLB Chris Paddack Profile — major league career stats and team history

Featured image · Photo = Pexels (Ayyeee Ayyeee)