Home > Sports > Baseball

Done tweaking, Tigers ace Naile focusing on execution in 3rd KBO season

Published: 03 Apr. 2026, 11:39

Kia Tigers starting pitcher James Naile delivers a pitch during a game against the KT Wiz at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on April 15, 2025. [KIA TIGERS]

Kia Tigers starter James Naile dominated the KBO in his first season in 2024 with the sweeper, a variant of the slider with substantial horizontal movement. His wasn't the first sweeper thrown in the Korean league, but it was by far the most effective.

Then in 2025, Naile returned for his second season here armed with new weapons. He threw his sinker with a different grip and paired that with his changeup more often.

For 2026, though, Naile says he is done tweaking his repertoire. Other than not taking the ball over his head in his windup, Naile hasn't made significant changes. It's all about executing what he already has.

“No big adjustments. Just trying to fine-tune and continue to get a little bit better," Naile told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday before the Tigers faced the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul. "Try to just build off what I've done in these previous years. At this point, after two years in the KBO, I don't have anything new for the players. Basically, it just comes down to executing.

“A fastball down and away is a good pitch no matter where you are," Naile added with a smile. "So it's important now to just stay in my routine, be smart, not try to strike everybody out, not try to throw too hard, just go out and pitch."

For any pitcher, it'd be hard to be much better than Naile over the past two seasons. In 2024, the American right-hander won the ERA crown with a 2.53 mark over 149 1/3 innings. Naile outdid himself by pitching to a 2.25 ERA in 164 1/3 innings in 2025, finishing second in that category behind the league MVP, Cody Ponce of the Hanwha Eagles (1.89).

Kia Tigers pitcher James Naile poses for a photo after re-signing with the club in this photo provided on Nov. 26, 2025. [KIA TIGERS]

Naile began the 2025 season by holding his opponents to just one earned run in his first 31 innings, for a minuscule 0.29 ERA over five starts. In the pitcher-friendly environment that is the KBO, Naile is as good a candidate as any starter to post a sub-2.00 ERA for a full season.

For his part, Naile said he just wants to gobble up innings for the Tigers.

“You don't want to start pitching for goals. I think it can get really ugly when you start pitching for strikeouts or [other stats]," he said. "I think my goal is just to pitch a lot of innings. That's what I want. I like the quality starts. I like going six innings. I think if I'm doing that, I'm probably doing pretty well."

In his two seasons here, Naile has experienced both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Naile helped the Tigers win the Korean Series title in 2024, giving up only three earned runs over 10 2/3 innings across two starts in the championship round. But in 2025, the Tigers missed the postseason entirely by finishing in eighth place, the worst performance by a defending champion in the following season in 29 years.

Kia Tigers James Naile is pictured in this undated photo. [KIA TIGERS]

Pundits haven't given the Tigers much love this year, but Naile believes things will be better in 2026.

“I just hope our team has learned from last year," he said. "You know, there were some good parts of last year. It wasn't all bad. I've really liked what I've seen at times this year. Hopefully, all of our pitching staff, myself included, can throw more strikes. I think our offense does a great job. I think our defense is good, and it's going to be up to all of our pitchers to determine our year."

Now 33 years old and his last major league appearance having come nearly three years ago, Naile said it is still "definitely a dream" to go back to the majors and follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ponce, his former Eagles teammate Ryan Weiss and 2023 KBO MVP Erick Fedde. But Naile is happy to be helping the Tigers return to the top, and he insisted he won't sign any deal just for the sake of returning to the United States.

“I'm only going to go back if it's the right scenario," he said. "When I started weighing options and fielding contracts, it just made sense to return. I like it here. Hopefully, I pitch a lot longer and I'll be happy with that. So we'll just see where it ends up at the end of the year."

Yonhap