Shirakawa and Choi Won-tae to start Game 3 of KBO playoffs — Korea Herald
In Gwangju, South Korea, Japanese right-handed pitcher Keisho Shirakawa of the KIA Tigers and Choi Won-tae of the Samsung Lions will start Game 3 of the second round of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) playoffs. The best-of-five series is tied 1-1 after two games, Korea Herald reports.
The first two games were held in Daegu. The Tigers won the opening game 5-1, while the Lions responded with an 8-3 victory the following day. Games 3 and 4 will be played at the Tigers' home field in Gwangju on Thursday and Friday, with both games scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. local time.
Shirakawa after a successful debut
Shirakawa made his KBO playoff debut on October 20 against the LG Twins. Over five innings, he allowed one run and four hits while recording nine strikeouts. In that game, the Tigers crushed their opponents 13-1 and advanced to the next round. Team manager Lee Bum-ho said after the game that the Japanese pitcher had exceeded his expectations.
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In three regular-season meetings against the Lions, Shirakawa had a 3.68 ERA. Over 14 and two-thirds innings, he recorded 10 strikeouts but also issued 11 walks. Lions player Koo Ja-wook collected two hits in six at-bats against Shirakawa, including a double, while Jeon Byung-woo hit the team's only home run against him.
Choi's statistics against the Tigers
Choi Won-tae had difficult playoff statistics before last year: his ERA stood at 11.16 in 18 previous games. In the 2025 playoffs, he pitched six scoreless innings against the SSG Landers and then worked seven innings and allowed one run in the following series against the Hanwha Eagles.
However, in three regular-season games against the Tigers this year, Choi's ERA was 8.10: over 13 and one-third innings, he allowed 17 hits, including two home runs. Kim Do-young and Harold Castro hit home runs against him, while Park Jae-hyun collected five hits in eight at-bats. The winner of the series will advance to the Korean Series. In nine of the previous 16 series in this format that were tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 ultimately won the series.
