Defending champion Ace, off to a nightmare start

In the opening game of the 2026 KBO League, the foreign 'old aces' of each team accepted report cards that fell short of expectations.

The most shocking collapse was that of Yoni Chirinos of last season's championship team, LG. Chirinos, who took the mound against KT in Jamsil on the 28th, caught the first two batters in the first inning with ease, but suddenly collapsed after two outs. KT's No. 5 Lee Jeong-hoon to No. 9 Lee Kang-min allowed five consecutive hitters to hit in a row, and were defeated early with 6 hits and 6 runs in one inning. The average speed of the two-seam fastball, which is the main weapon, was 146.4 km per hour, which was pointed out as a problem because it was more than 2 km slower than last season's average.

Furado and Alcantara are also below expectations

Samsung Ariel Jurado started the opening game for three consecutive seasons, including in 2024 during his Kiwoom days. However, the team faltered in the first inning, giving up a two-run home run to Lotte Yoon Dong-hee. Although he was successful in a quality start (QS) by allowing 3 runs in 6 innings, his performance did not live up to the nickname ‘Inning Eater’. In particular, he became the losing pitcher in a match against Lotte's new ace, Elvin Rodriguez, who recorded 5 scoreless innings with a maximum speed of 156 km/h.

Kiwoom Raul Alcantara, who started the opening game of the KBO League for the fourth time including his time with Doosan, also had mediocre performance, allowing only 3 runs in 5.1 innings.

Nail, shined alone, but ended up crying

KIA James Nail was the only foreign ace who played his role. In the Incheon expedition, which had a particularly difficult season last season, SSG's batting line was blocked with 6 scoreless innings. It was a good pitch in contrast to opposing starter Mitch White, who was battered with 9 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings.

But in the end, Nail couldn't smile either. Starting with left-hander Kim Beom-soo, Jeong Hae-young, and Cho Sang-woo, all three members of the KIA bullpen's sure-to-win team collapsed, and the team suffered a 6-7 upset loss. Nail's chance to win also disappeared. The 'misfortune of winning' that has continued since last year was repeated in the opening game.

Koo Chang-mo, regular season victory after 1052 days

While foreign aces bowed their heads one after another, NC left-hander Koo Chang-mo, the only domestic pitcher to start the opening game, shone. Although he took the mound in a hurry due to the sudden injury of Riley Thompson, the original starter, he overpowered the Doosan lineup with a good pitching of 5 innings, allowing 2 hits and no runs.

It has been 1,052 days since Koo Chang-mo's regular season victory against Suwon KT on May 11, 2023. He also achieved a complete victory in the starting match against Doosan Chris Flexen (4 innings, 3 runs). Koo Chang-mo brought back a smile in the face-off between the two pitchers, which took place six years after the 2020 Korean Series.