183 innings Naile vs. 2.95 ERA Pedek… KIA Tigers schedule, Playoff Game 1 on the 25th

KIA's Naile and Samsung's Pedek will face off in Playoff Game 1 at 2 p.m. on the 25th in Daegu. The two pitchers' salary gap is 4.2x, and this is the first game of the best-of-5 series.

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

Three-line summary

Samsung's Pedek and KIA's Naile will start Playoff Game 1 at 2 p.m. on October 25 in Daegu.
Naile's 2026 season contract is worth up to $2 million, 4.2x more than Pedek's $473,333.
Pedek posted a 2.95 regular-season ERA, while Naile recorded 183 innings and 13 wins.

$2 millionand $473,333. These are the contract amounts for the two foreign starters facing off in Daegu on the 25th. KIA Tigers' James Naile (33) re-signed for up to $2 million for the 2026 season. Samsung Lions' Chris Pedek (30) joined mid-season for $473,333. Dividing them gives a 4.2x difference.

KIA Tigers schedule: Playoff Game 1, 2 p.m. on the 25th in Daegu

News1 reported that Samsung and KIA named Pedek and Naile as their Game 1 starters on the 24th. The game will be played on the 25th at 2 p.m. at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.

This playoff is a best-of-5 series. The first team to win 3 games advances to the Korean Series.

Pedek 7 wins, 3 losses, 2.95 ERA, 1.88 lower than MLB's 4.83

Pedek was born on January 8, 1996, and is a 30-year-old American right-hander. He was drafted by Miami in the 8th round in 2015, was then traded to San Diego, and underwent Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction) twice. He later played for Minnesota and Detroit, among others, before signing with Samsung on July 11 this year.

His MLB career record is 32-43 over 132 games, with a 4.83 ERA. In the KBO, he is 7-3 over 13 games with an ERA of 2.95, which is 1.88 lower than his MLB career mark.

Naile: 183 innings, 13 wins; Wild Card Series Game 1, 7 innings, 1 run allowed

Naile was born on February 8, 1993, and is 33 years old. After playing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), he was drafted by Oakland in the 20th round in 2015. He joined KIA in 2024 and went 12-5 over 26 games with a 2.53 ERA. He also won the Korean Series title that year. In 2025, he pitched 164⅓ innings, posted a 2.25 ERA, and recorded 152 strikeouts.

This year, Naile has pitched 183 innings and recorded 13 wins. Compared with last year, his innings increased by 18⅔ and his wins by 5. However, his 2026 ERA is not in the available data, so it was not compared with Pedek on the same metric. According to YTN, Naile became the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against LG, pitching 7 innings and allowing 1 run.

Naile's salary is $1.6 million, a 4.2x gap with Pedek's pay

Sports Donga reported that Naile's 2026 season contract totals up to $2 million, combining a $200,000 signing bonus, a $1.6 million salary, and $200,000 in options. Of this, the guaranteed amount is $1.8 million. Samsung Lions announced that Pedek's contract amount is $473,333 (approximately 710 million won), which covers the rest of the season.

Dividing by the maximum total amount gives 4.2x, and dividing by the $1.8 million guaranteed amount excluding options also gives 3.8x. However, Pedek's figure covers only the rest of the season, so it is not a direct salary comparison. Naile's $200,000 option also cannot be treated as confirmed salary.

Item	Pedek (Samsung)	Naile (KIA)
Age (date of birth)	30 (1996.01.08)	33 (1993.02.08)
2026 regular season	13 games, 7-3	183 innings, 13 wins
2026 ERA	2.95	No data
Past record	MLB career ERA 4.83	2025 KBO ERA 2.25
Contract amount (USD)	473,333 (rest of season)	Up to $2 million (guaranteed $1.8 million)
Postseason	No data	2024 Korean Series title, 1 win in the 2026 Wild Card Series

You can check KIA Tigers' next schedule on the official KBO schedule page. The number of wins needed to reach the Korean Series is 3 wins. The first of those games takes place on the 25th at 2 p.m. in Daegu.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When is the KIA Tigers' playoff Game 1?

The game is on October 25 at 2 p.m. (Korea time) at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, where they face Samsung. The series is best-of-5.

Q. What is Naile's salary?

The salary is $1.6 million. The total for the 2026 season, combining the $200,000 signing bonus and $200,000 option, is up to $2 million. The guaranteed amount is $1.8 million, and the option is not an amount actually received.

Q. How old is Pedek?

Born January 8, 1996, he is 30 years old. The American right-handed pitcher signed with Samsung in July 2026.

Related official sites

KBO official game schedule and results — Check playoff game schedules and results
KBO official pitcher records — Look up the official season records of both starters
Samsung Lions official website — Team announcements and player signing news

Representative image · Archive photo · This is not an on-site photo of the current game in the article · Photo composite · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Choi2451), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Neoalpha), CC0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Pioneerhj), CC BY-SA 3.0