KT's Daniel vs. Samsung's Choi Won-tae to Clash in Game 1 of Korean Series

KT Wiz right-handed foreign pitcher Davies Daniel and Samsung Lions right-handed native pitcher Choi Won-tae will square off as starting pitchers in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korean Series (best-of-seven).

KT manager Lee Kang-chul and Samsung manager Park Jin-man announced the two players as their respective Game 1 starters during the Korean Series Media Day held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on November 2.

Daniel and Choi will take the mound with their teams' fates on the line on November 3 at Suwon KT Wiz Park.

After joining KT on July 30, 2026, as a replacement foreign pitcher for Matt Sauer, Daniel played the role of an ace in the regular season, posting 5 wins, 2 losses, and a 2.13 ERA in 10 appearances.

In particular, he posted stellar numbers in 7 appearances since September, going 5-1 with a 1.85 ERA.

He was also exceptionally strong at home in Suwon this season, recording a 1.16 ERA in 5 games.

Having taken about a month of rest since his last regular-season appearance against the Kiwoom Heroes on October 6, Daniel is expected to take the mound in top condition.

The fact that Daniel has never faced Samsung this season works to KT's advantage.

Samsung hitters have not experienced Daniel's pitches, and having focused entirely on the playoff series against the KIA Tigers, they did not have sufficient time to prepare for the Korean Series.

Taking this background into account, KT manager Lee selected Daniel as his Game 1 starter.

Manager Lee said, "I debated whether to pitch him against Samsung near the end of the regular season to test him, but I figured it was better not to show him at all," adding, "I decided on Daniel as the Game 1 starter early on."

Manager Park stated, "With Won Tae-in moving to the bullpen, Choi Won-tae steps in as starter by rotation. Choi was somewhat sluggish in the playoffs, but he has a lot of experience."

"I hope he can showcase the form he showed during last year's fall baseball," he added.

Choi recorded 7 wins, 5 losses, and a 4.68 ERA in 24 regular-season games this year, and struggled against KT with 0 wins, 1 loss, and a 6.94 ERA in 2 appearances.

In his most recent matchup against KT on June 9, he performed relatively well, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, 4 walks, 1 hit batsman, and 4 strikeouts over 6 and two-thirds innings.

For KT, players such as Kim Hyun-soo (3 hits in 6 at-bats), Ahn Hyun-min (1 hit in 3 at-bats), and Ryu Hyun-in (1 hit and 1 walk in 4 at-bats) showed strong performances against Choi.

In particular, Kim Hyun-soo dominated Choi over the past two seasons, going 5-for-10 with 5 RBIs and 1 walk in 11 plate appearances (a .500 batting average).

Looking at the weight of the starting pitchers, it is true that the scale tips toward regular-season leader KT.

Notably, Choi was pulled early after struggling in Game 3 of the playoffs against KIA on October 29, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts in 1 and two-thirds innings.

However, because Choi threw only 38 pitches at that time, he will be able to enter Game 1 of the Korean Series with recovered stamina.

The fact that his playoff slump could further stimulate his desire to win is another variable.

In Korean Series history, the team winning Game 1 has gone on to win the championship 31 out of 42 times, amounting to 73.8%.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.