Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team NC Dinos defeated KIA Tigers ace Adam Waller and completed a winning series. Starting pitcher Curtis Taylor earned the victory with his first quality start in his debut.
NC defeated the KIA Tigers 7-2 on the 30th at Changwon NC Park in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. With the win, NC improved to 13-14. KIA also returned to 13-14. The three-game series ended with both teams maintaining a tie for fifth place.
KIA set its starting lineup with Park Jae-hyun (right field), Kim Ho-ryeong (center field), Kim Seon-bin (second base), Kim Do-young (third base), Na Seong-beom (designated hitter), Ko Jong-wook (left field), Oh Seon-woo (first base), Han Jun-su (catcher) and Kim Gyu-seong (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Adam Waller.
NC started with Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Park Min-woo (second base), Park Geon-woo (designated hitter), Davidson (first base), Lee Woo-seong (right field), Ko Jun-hwi (left field), Ahn Jung-yeol (catcher), Chun Jae-hwan (center field) and Do Tae-hoon (third base). The starting pitcher was Curtis Taylor.
NC scored the first run in the first inning. In the first, Kim Joo-won hit a leadoff home run off Waller. On a 2-ball count, he drove the third pitch, a 150 km/h four-seam fastball, over the right-field wall. It was his fourth career leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Waller had recorded a shutout in his previous start, while Taylor had been ejected for a headshot in his previous outing. A tight pitchers' duel unfolded between the two. In the fifth inning, NC produced a big inning that cracked the tense momentum.
In the fifth, leadoff batter Ahn Jung-yeol reached with a hit to left. Chun Jae-hwan laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Kim Joo-won's groundout to first created two outs with runners on second and third. Then Park Min-woo delivered an opposite-field RBI single to left, pushing the lead to 2-0. Park Min-woo successfully stole second during Park Geon-woo's at-bat, and Park Geon-woo drew a walk. Park Min-woo and Park Geon-woo then executed a double steal to create runners at second and third with two outs, and Davidson followed with an RBI single to center to make it 4-0. Davidson was thrown out at second to end the inning.
Waller left the mound after five innings, throwing 85 pitches, allowing five hits (one home run), two walks, one hit batsman, striking out five and surrendering four runs. It was his most runs allowed this season.
KIA was stifled by NC starter Taylor. In the sixth, after one out, Kim Do-young's single to left created a runner at first, and Na Seong-beom hit a two-run homer over the left-field wall to cut the deficit. On a 1-ball count, he drove the second pitch, a 147 km/h four-seam fastball, out. It was his fifth home run of the season.
But the rally did not continue. NC starter Taylor completed his debut quality start, going six innings, allowing six hits (one home run), one walk, striking out three and giving up two runs. Relievers Im Jeong-ho and Jeon Sa-min then pitched well to snuff out KIA's momentum.
In the bottom of the eighth, leadoff hitter Park Geon-woo's single to center and pinch runner Choi Jeong-won's steal of second created a no-out runner at second, and Davidson produced an RBI double to left-center to add to the lead. With no outs and a runner at second, Lee Woo-seong's sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to third with one out, and Han Seok-hyun's RBI single to center added another run. Ahn Jung-yeol then added an RBI hit, putting the game out of reach at 7-2.
OSEN=Changwon, reporter Jo Hyeong-rae