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Foreign pitchers to once again dominate mound on KBO Opening Day

Published: 26 Mar. 2026, 16:37

LG Twins starter Yonny Chirinos pitches against the Hanwha Eagles during Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in the central city of Daejeon, on Oct. 30, 2025. [YONHAP]

A recent trend in Korean baseball will hold up this weekend, as foreign-born pitchers again crowded the list of Opening Day starters.

Nine out of 10 clubs in the KBO will have foreign pitchers on the mound for the first day of the 2026 season on Saturday. All five games nationwide will begin at 2 p.m.

Last year, all 10 clubs put foreign-born starters on the mound on Opening Day. For several years prior, only one or two Korean pitchers had the honor of getting the start on the first day of the season.

On Saturday, the defending champions LG Twins will start Venezuelan right-hander Yonny Chirinos against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. This will be Chirinos's second straight Opening Day start.

Last year, he held the Lotte Giants to two runs over six innings for his first KBO victory.

The Wiz will counter with their first-year import from the United States, right-hander Matt Sauer. The one-time Los Angeles Dodger went 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA in two preseason games this month.

NC Dinos starter Koo Chang-mo pitches against the Samsung Lions during the club's wild card game in the KBO postseason at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, on Oct. 6, 2025. [YONHAP]

The Eagles will start their new Venezuelan pitcher, Wilkel Hernandez, to begin the season against the Kiwoom Heroes at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in the central city of Daejeon. Dominican pitcher Raul Alcantara will get the ball for the Heroes.

Hernandez had a 0-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in two preseason outings, though opponents only hit .167 against him.

Alcantara, who went 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA as a midseason arrival last year, did not give up a run in nine innings across two preseason outings in March. He is back for his sixth KBO season and his second with the Heroes. Alcantara previously had the Opening Day honors for the Doosan Bears in 2020, 2023 and 2024.

American ace James Naile will get his second straight Opening Day start for the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju. The Tigers will face the SSG Landers and their American starter Mitch White.

Hanwha Eagles pitcher Wilkel Hernandez pitches in the bullpen during spring training at Kochinda Sports Park Baseball Field in Yaese, Japan, on March 4. [YONHAP]

Naile has a 2.38 ERA over the past two seasons, the best mark among all qualified pitchers in that span.

White, who has a Korean-born mother, went 11-4 with a 2.87 ERA in his first KBO season last year after getting a delayed start due to injuries. White is healthy at the start of 2026.

The Samsung Lions will host the Lotte Giants at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu with their Panamanian ace Ariel Jurado toeing the rubber. The Giants, who posted the best record in the preseason, will send their new Dominican right-hander, Elvin Rodriguez, to the hill.

Jurado is a veritable workhorse with 571 1/3 innings pitched over the past three campaigns, more than any other pitcher in that period. This is Jurado's third straight Opening Day assignment.

Doosan Bears starter Chris Flexen pitches against the Kia Tigers during a KBO preseason game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on March 22. [YONHAP]

Rodriguez, who has experience in both the majors and Japan, went 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA in two preseason starts.

The lone homegrown starter on Saturday will be NC Dinos left-hander Koo Chang-mo, who will be opposed by Chris Flexen of the Doosan Bears at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern town of Changwon.

Koo had been slated to start Sunday, but was moved up after American ace Riley Thompson went down with a left oblique injury on Wednesday.

Koo was once hailed as the next big Korean pitcher before injuries derailed his promising career. The 29-year-old has never thrown the minimum 144 innings in a season to qualify for an ERA title. He made four appearances last year after completing his mandatory military service, posting a 1-0 record with a 2.51 ERA over 14 1/3 innings, with 18 strikeouts against three walks.

Flexen, a lanky right-hander from the United States, is back with the Bears for his second tour of duty after first pitching for them in 2020. Flexen pitched the five ensuing seasons for four different major league clubs, compiling 32 wins over 147 appearances.

Yonhap