The Kia Tigers announced Sunday their No. 1 starter, James Naile, will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a broken jaw during the previous day’s game, a big blow to the first-place club’s title aspirations.

Kia Tigers starter James Naile pitches against the LG Twins during the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Aug. 18, 2024. (Yonhap)

Naile, the first-year American ace for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Matt Davidson of the NC Dinos in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern town of Changwon.

Naile immediately grabbed his jaw area and ran off the field under his own power. He headed straight to the clubhouse, as the stadium of nearly 16,500 fans fell silent. Davidson, visibly shaken while crouching at first base, was lifted for a pinch runner.

According to the Tigers, Naile was diagnosed with a fractured jaw at a local hospital Saturd
ay and was scheduled to undergo surgery at a Seoul hospital Sunday morning.

The Tigers added there is no timeline yet for Naile’s return, and it will be determined after monitoring the prognosis of his operation.

Naile has been one of the KBO’s best starting pitchers this year. He is tied for the league lead with 12 wins, including one from Saturday, and is second in ERA with 2.53.

The Tigers have the best record so far at 71-47-2 (wins-losses-ties) and have a 6.5-game lead over the Samsung Lions with 24 games left this season. The team with the best regular-season record earns a direct ticket to the Korean Series each year. The Tigers have won the most Korean Series titles in league history with 11, and they are chasing their first championship since 2017.

The Tigers have gone a perfect 11-for-11 in Korean Series so far.

Source: Yonhap News Agency