KBO Playoff 2026: Game 1 between Samsung and KIA is rained out and moves to 18:30 on October 26 in Daegu, with Game 5 pushed back to November 1

The Playoff has not started yet. Game 1, due at 14:00 on Sunday, October 25 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, was called off because of rain. According to the KBO notice, rain that had been falling since the day before was still coming down at 12:10, more was forecast into the evening, and the field would have needed about an hour of work even after it stopped. The KBO said Game 1 will be played at 18:30 on Monday, October 26. Postseason games are never called as no-games or shortened for rain; a game that cannot be played moves to the next day, and that is what happened here.

The schedule and series score here come from the data behind this site's postseason page and game pages, as of the evening of October 25. The reason for the call and the new Game 1 time come from the KBO notice of October 25, and the original schedule and the rain rule from the schedule the KBO announced on October 7. This piece covers only the arithmetic of the games left and makes no forecast.

The new schedule. In the schedule feed, Game 1 is at 18:30 on Monday, October 26 (on MBC) and Game 2 at 18:30 on Tuesday, October 27, both Samsung home games in Daegu. There is no game on Wednesday, October 28. Games 3 and 4, on Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30 at 18:30, are KIA home games at Gwangju Kia Champions Field, and Game 5 is back in Daegu at 14:00 on Sunday, November 1. Every game has moved one day later than the original dates of October 25, 26, 28, 29 and 31, and Games 4 and 5 are played only if needed. The feed lists James Naile as KIA's Game 1 starter and 페덱 for Samsung. Another rainout would push the later dates back again.

The arithmetic of the games left. It is a best of five between second-place Samsung (83-58-3 in the regular season) and third-place KIA (79-63-2), and it stands at 0-0. If one side wins the first three, it ends in Gwangju in Game 3 on Thursday, October 29. A 3-1 series ends in Game 4 on Friday, October 30, and at 2-2 Game 5 in Daegu on Sunday, November 1 decides it. Ending in Game 3 or 4 means ending in Gwangju, and going to Game 5 means ending in Daegu. KIA come into Game 1 after five days off since Game 3 of the Semi-Playoff on October 20.

The Korean Series. First-place KT (90-49-5) wait for the Playoff winner in the Korean Series. In the schedule announced on October 7, Game 1 is at 18:30 on Monday, November 2 at Suwon KT Wiz Park, and the same announcement sets at least one travel day between series. Game 5 of the Playoff has now moved to November 1, but the October 25 notice says nothing about the Korean Series dates, and the schedule feed has no Korean Series games yet. Whether they change is for the KBO to announce.

How to read these numbers. The Playoff goes to the first club to three wins, and the Korean Series to the first to four. Postseason games run to a maximum of 15 innings and are drawn if still level, and a draw does not count as a win. The Semi-Playoff is in our previous piece. The postseason page shows the bracket and each series' score, the series pages the schedule game by game, and the fixtures the games left. Each club's record is on its team page: Samsung, KIA and KT.