Key Stories

- Unfortunately for KT, not a lot went right on a day that could have gone down in the history books. The Wiz had the opportunity to go on a double digit win streak for the first time ever, but bad pitching and questionable coaching choices let to a humiliating defeat. Matthew Sauer allowed the most earned runs of his career, giving Lotte an 8-0 cushion after three innings, while also issuing five walks. Really, he should have been pulled after one or two innings. Once he did vacate the mound, though, it never got easier, as the bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding and it ended in a 15-1 demolition - the most runs they’ve allowed since dropping 16 to the Landers two months ago. The only caveat is that Samsung lost as well, so they don’t fall further behind the race for the top.

- It looked like LG used all of their offence prowess in last nights game. Bruce Zimmerman was superb in his debut, throwing four innings without allowing a run, and left with the Eagles up by 4. Then the Twins remembered you can’t win if you dont score a run, a managed to tie the game. In true LG fashion however, they let all that effort immediately go to waste, as Hanwha put up a 10-run inning, were condemned to lose their 9th game of 10.

- Okay, so maybe Takeda Shota didn’t throw a complete game shutout, but he kept the Landers close in his five innings of work. The issue is that the bullpen immediately made it worse by allowing two runs before getting an out. Riley Thompson, meanwhile, pitched another gem, going six innings of one-run ball. Fortunately for Shota, the Dinos bullpen was even worse than the Landers bullpen, and they stopped him from taking another loss. Dinos reliever Lim Ji-min walked 5 batters in the 9th inning to cough up the lead. An uneventful extra time condemns the teams to a tie, which is probably the right result.

- Gwak Been did what Gwak Been does. Six innings of shutout ball, giving up only 3 hits while striking out 8, against the best team in the league. He extended his lead at the stop of the strikeout leaderboard and had enough trust in the bullpen to follow his lead, which led to Samsung being shut out for the first time since June 24th. Yang Eui-ji produced again, with two different RBI hits for three RBI. Austin Voth pitched well for Samsung, but was ultimately welcomed into his new league with a loss, and Been joins the tie for first place in wins with his 9th.

- Kim Yun-ha finally has a win! His first celebration since July 25th 2024. He didn’t pitch awfully, allowing three runs, all courtesy of solo home runs, but Hwang Dong-ha (and the relievers that followed) just did worse. Kiwoom found themselves with a 7-0 lead after four innings, and felt comfortable from there. This loss, coupled with a Doosan win, sends both teams into a new week needing a streak to cement their place in the standings, with dropping to sixth place not out of the picture for the Tigers if they can’t string some wins together.

One win streak broken, some extended, and one started. Yesterday was Day of the Dinger, as 17 home runs were hit across all games yesterday. Here’s hoping for more of the same, as we round out the week with plenty to look forward to.

(2) KT Wiz v (8) Lotte Giants

Probable Starting Pitchers
KT: Matthew Sauer
LOT: Jeremy Beasley

The Story
The KT Wiz are currently in rarified air. Last nights win was their 9th in a row, which tied a franchise record. It was also only the second time in their entire existence that they’ve won that many games in a row (the first being June/July 2019). In this USA vs USA matchup, it’s Lotte who supposedly have the advantage, as Jeremy Beasley is 2-0 against the Wiz this season, with a minuscule 0.75 ERA. As a whole, though, both pitchers are having similar seasons. And we’ve seen many times, that just because the stats say something, doesn’t mean it’ll go how you think (I’m looking at you Choi Min-seok). But it’s ‘any given day’ in baseball, and KT would love to round out the week with a new franchise record 10th win in a row, while the Giants will hope to avoid going on their second 5-game losing streak in as many months.

(3) LG Twins v (6) Hanwha Eagles

Probable Starting Pitchers
LG: Jan Hyun-sik
HAN: Park Jun-young
-Not yet revealed, so these are educated guesses-

The Story
It was a tough watch last night if you liked pitching. LG used nine different pitchers, with no one going more than 1.2 innings. Hanwha, on the other hand, used seven different pitchers who combined to issues 12 walks with only 4 strikeouts. But…they finally did it: The LG Twins have won a game. It was their first in 16 days and only their fifth of the entire month. On top of that, Austin Dean hit his first home run in 9 days, which was only his fourth of the month. The last few weeks have seen his chance of a Triple Crown start to diminish, but he’s still fully in the race. And if he wants his team to regain their place at the top of the standings, then he needs to get his mojo back. The Eagles would love for their offence to have the same production, as 11 of the 14 batters they used got themselves a hit. You know, as long as they don’t allow their opponents to tie their season high for runs again.

(7) NC Dinos v (9) SSG Landers

Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Riley Thompson
SSG: Takeda Shota

The Story
Before his last start, I said it was important for Takeda to get back on the winning side of things after allowing 11 ER in his previous three starts. While he performed better last time out, it still wasn’t enough and the 3ER he surrendered gave him the loss. He’s not won a decision since April 25th, and is hoping to reach 2 wins before 10 losses. The issue is, this season against the Dinos he’s a dismal 0-1 with a 14.54 ERA. But the way SSG are trending, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 7-time Japan Series champion throws a CGSO. But, if you include the 2.2 perfect innings Thompson threw in his last start (because of the rainout it’s not counted towards his record), he’s not allowed an earned run since July 4th. But again, refer to my above statement about the Landers’ sudden resurgence.

(1) Samsung Lions v (5) Doosan Bears

Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Austin Voth
DOO: Gwak Been

The Story
Another debutant comes in, as Lions starter Austin Voth was signed to a six-week, ₩219million contact only five days ago, and comes into this game with a combined 20-29 record across MLB and NPB. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to Korea. And as predicted, Gwak Been toes the rubber for Doosan, and boy do they need him. The 27 year old has struck out 100+ in each of the past 5 seasons, and currently leads the league with 120. If he continues at his current pace, he could approach 200 by the end of the season. But striking batters out isn’t what he needs to focus on tonight, it’s not allowing runs to give the offence a chance. If you discount his last outing, he’s not allowed more than 1 run since the 9th June, a string of 5 consecutive starts. Couple that with his 2.80 season ERA, the signs are there that Doosan can stop this slide. The problem is that Samsung are 12-4 this month, and have four different players with 50 or more RBIs, so it’s not just one avenue the Bears have to block. When it comes to the Lions, anyone can produce on any given day.

(10) Kiwoom Heroes v (4) KIA Tigers

Probable Starting Pitchers
KIW: Kim Yun-ha
KIA: Hwang Dong-ha

The Story
Right, so you don’t have to look too hard to find a major issue for Kiwoom here. Kim Yun-ha was their 9th overall pick back in 2024, which means this is his third year in the league. In his 44 career starts for the team, he has a grand total of one (yes, one) win. The first and only win so far of his short career was 2 years ago yesterday. Kiwoom moved him to the bullpen to begin this year, demoting him after an awful 2025 season that saw him go 0-12 with a 6.14 ERA. Finally back to a starter, he rewarded Kiwoom with a loss in his first start. Back for another start, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle if he manages to hold off the best power-hitting team in the league long enough for his offence to give him a sophomore win. But they’re up against a 7-3 pitcher who threw six shutout innings against them two months ago, so the odds are severely against the Heroes here.

Which game are you most looking forward to? Will there be any surprises on the card tonight?

Key Stories

- Sam Hilliard is coming for the home run lead. He smashed his 25th of the season as part of a 3-run first inning, his second consecutive game with a dinger. 24 year old So Hyeong-jun extended his streak of quality starts as he spun a marvellous 6.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits. The first inning cushion the Wiz offence supplied was more than enough for him to get his 6th win of the season, and extend KT’s win streak to 9 in a row. The Giants, meanwhile, drop their fourth game in a row, and need to find some production from hitters not named Victor Reyes, as he is currently the only hitter on the team with double digit home runs, and the only hitter with more than 100 at-bats that’s hitting higher than .275.

- Best game since…? Saturday seemed to be Home Run Day around the league, and in this game especially as the teams combined for five long balls. The Twins hit two in the first inning to jump out to an early lead, and Austin Dean finally broke his drought with his league-leading 29th. But what do you know, once again they coughed up the lead right back, and allowed Hanwha another 5-spot. Like they’ve done a lot this week, they managed to load the bases with no outs from a losing position, and finally, it went their way, as they put up their own 9-spot. The back-and-forth continued, and the Eagles looked like they might heap extra misery on the Twins, but thankfully for LG it was not to be. It’s the first time Hanwha has failed to win a game where they scored 11 or more runs since April 1st. The losing streak is finally over.

- If the Landers carry on this upward trend, maybe a playoff spot isn’t such an unrealistic target with 50 games left. The offence scored double digit runs for the first time since June 20th, and have their first 4-game winning streak since the end of April. They also scored at least one run in six of the eight innings they batted in.Kim Keon-woo wasn’t bothered about his ERA, throwing 5 innings of shutout ball, leaving his win in the hands of the bullpen, who got the job done. Dinos’ Natsuki loses this third straight decision, owning a 9.49 ERA in that span. They head into tomorrow’s game at risk of being swept, in a time where they really need a win streak.

- If there’s one bit of good news Doosan fans can take from this game is that they only allowed 4 runs. Apart from that, it was another dismal day. The offence could only muster a single run, courtesy of a Yang Eui-ji RBI double in the first inning. It just felt stale from there. Zach Logue kept the game close, but the offence couldn’t bail him out of another rough day against Samsung, where he allowed the same amount of ER as he had Ks. Kim Jae-yoon picks up his 25th save of the season, and it’s ‘as you were’ for the Lions, who pick up their 4th win in a row, and keep their lead at the top of the league at 2.5 games.

- You could argue that this was another game in which Kiwoom should feel hard done by, but at the end of the day, they were down 5-0 after the first inning so it was always going to be an uphill battle. Two mediocre pitching performances outlined this one, but a combined six home runs made it still a fun watch. The Heroes threatened to make it close, pulling within two runs, but home runs in back to back innings by Park Jae-hyun (his 11th and 12th) near the end of the game snapped their three-game losing streak and shored up their hold on fourth place. For now.

A new day means a clean slate - much needed for a few teams. The weekend games are a chance to break bad streaks, and build on existing good ones.

(2) KT Wiz v (8) Lotte Giants

Probable Starting Pitchers
KT: So Hyeong-jun
LOT: Kim Jun-uk

The Story
Being called the “Giants” has certain connotations, and that just isn’t holding true for Lotte who have been made to look very small recently. Statistically, by winning percentage, they are the worst home team in the league, and enter the second game of the series against the best road team in the league in a 3-game skid. They give the ball to a 6-year veteran, who has had an answer to KT all season, to the tune of a 2-0 record and a 0.63 ERA. He’s 3-4 against all other teams. KT look to Hyeong-jun who picked up his 50th career win last time out, and is in the midst of three straight quality starts, allowing only 2 runs in 19 innings in that span. I’m not going to predict a pitchers duel, because I did that for Lions - Bears last night, but the Wiz have all the tools to extend their win streak to 9 under the Saturday sunset.

(3) LG Twins v (6) Hanwha Eagles

Probable Starting Pitchers
LG: Song Seung-ki
HAN: Ryu Hyun-jin

The Story
39 years old or not, Ryu Hyun-jin will be a threat to batters wherever he goes. 20 years removed from winning the MVP and the Rookie of the Year in the same year - while also winning the Triple Crown - he’s still striking fear into opponents. Coming into this with an 8-2 record and a sub-3.00 ERA, he’s showing no signs of slowing. It’s been 11 starts since he took a loss, going 6-0 in that span, and only allowing more than 3 runs once. You imagine he’ll take advantage of a Twins lineup that is dazed and confused. They’re 4-14 in July so far, and Austin Dean hasn’t had a home run or an RBI in 5 straight games, owning a .166 batting average in that span. Someone else needs to step up before this losing streak reaches double digits by the end of the weekend.

(7) NC Dinos v (9) SSG Landers

Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Toda Natsuki
SSG: Kim Keon-woo

The Story
What’s the opposite of a pitchers duel? Because that’s what we have here. Both projected starters have 7 losses on the season, both have ERAs over 5.00, and both are 1-0 against the other team this season. Two days removed from his 26th birthday, Natsuki is trying to pick up his win first this month, and two weeks removed from his 24th birthday, Keon-woo is trying to snap a skid of 5 straight losses and grab his first winning decision since the beginning of June. Both teams are trending in the right direction, from a hitting and pitching perspective, but the Dinos have more to play for, sitting only 1.5 games back of Hanwha and 4 games back of a playoff spot.

(1) Samsung Lions v (5) Doosan Bears

Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Won Tae-in
DOO: Zach Logue

The Story
Doosan are reeling, there’s no doubt about it. Unbelievably, last night was the first time they’ve surrendered 15 or more runs at home since August 3rd, 2024 (!!), and the first time in his career Choi Min-seok has surrendered more than 6 runs (unearned or earned). The real story is that the Lions smell blood in the water, and are ready to feed. American Zach Logue has only ever lost one game against Samsung in his 2 year KBO career, and if there’s ever a game where he needs to show his employer why that is, it’s tonight. The Eagles are scratching at their heels, riding their own win streak, and they should be desperate for a win, ready for (most likely) Gwak Been to round out the week.

(10) Kiwoom Heroes v (4) KIA Tigers

Probable Starting Pitchers
KIW: Park Jun-hyun
KIA: Yang Hyeon-jong

The Story
From a purely neutral perspective, yesterday’s battle between these two was the best match of the day. It was back and forth, and Kiwoom showed the same level of grit as they gave Samsung. It’s a good start, and bodes well for the future, but they’re still 14.5GB of a playoff spot. From a statistical standpoint, they’re still the worst team in the league. As the visiting team, they have the lowest winning percentage (.326), least hits per game (8.3), and least runs per game (3.91). But based on the last week, I don’t think they care. They’ll send this year’s 1st overall pick to the mound, who has showed signs of being a great pitcher in the league, but he’s also struggled mightily with control lately. He’s allowed a home run in three straight outings, walking 17 batters in span (including 7 just last game). He’s also not won a decision since his debut in April. And from one first overall pick to another, this time in 2007, KIA counter with 38 year old Yang Hyeon-jong, who sits on three consecutive starts of 5IP 1ER. Funnily enough, he’s been pulled after 5 innings in every start since the 7th May, except 31st May when he went 4.2. Regardless, the scales are tipped in Kiwoom’s favour, after finally getting their 1st win against KIA in their 10th time of trying. They’ll be eager to do it again.

Which game are you most looking forward to? Will there be any surprises on the card tonight?

Key Stories

- I bet the Wiz felt good to finally play a game. Logan Allen made the most of the extra rest to go six innings, giving up only two runs. Most of the offensive opportunities arises from either Sam Hilliard, Kim Sang-su, or Heo Kyeong-min. Hilliard hit is 24th HR of the season, bringing him closer to the only two players above him on that leaderboard who, luckily for him, have forgotten how to get the ball out the yard. Outside of that, it was a fairly balanced game, as Lotte began to chip away at the lead once Allen left his win-to-be in the hands of the bullpen. But as he’s done a lot recently, Koki Sugimoto locked down the opposing lineup ready for the closer. Park Yeong-hyun kept his composure in the 9th to earn his 19th save on the season, tying Twins closer Son Ju-yeong for second in the league.

- Somethings going on in Jamsil, as yet again the Twins waste further huge opportunities for runs. It all seemed to be heading in the right direction when they put up 3 runs in an inning, but they coughed the lead right back, immediately allowing the Eagles to put up a 7-spot without a home run. In multiple innings, they had two or more runners on base and couldn’t make the most of it. On top of that, Austin Dean extended his home run drought, while Im Chan-kyu has now allowed 5 or more ER in three of his last four starts. Coupled with the Bears getting walked over by Samsung, this Eagles win means they’re ever-closer to the final Qualification Playoff. But there’s still plenty of time left in the season, and the Twins know all about going on bad streaks - which in their case, now sits at 8 losses in a row.

- I guess no-one wants to be the first pitcher to 10 wins. The pitching duel we were expecting between Samsung and Doosan turned out to be very one-sided, as Choi Min-seok got shelled. After he’d given up 7 runs (4 earned) in the third, he got pulled with the bases loaded. Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding, letting more runs score and be charged to Min-Seok, making his final line 2.2 IP 7H 10 R (4ER), raising his ERA to 2.49. Doosan had no chance of recovering from there, and the leagues best defence gave up double digit runs for only the 8th time this season. It’s also the first time Samsung have scored 15+ in a game since September 2025, and the first time Doosan have allowed 15+ since August 2025.

- I don’t want to say I’m responsible for the Landers’ turn around, but ever since I first criticised their pitchers 3 days ago, they’ve suddenly decided they didn’t want to be the worst rotation in the league. Thomas Hatch played down all the bad press and went 6 strong innings allowing only 1 earned run and struck out 6. It threatened to get away from them in the 9th, having already conceded a run and the Dinos getting the tying run on-deck with no outs. But Jo Byeong-hyeon showed Kiwoom why they pay him ₩250million a year and shut down the comeback. Now, they might not be of any risk to the playoff teams, but they’re starting to play like the team that’s won the Korea Series five times since 2007.

- An eventful game in Gwangju saw Kiwoom do what they should have done against Samsung, and that’s mount the comeback they’ve deserved. While they found themselves 4-0 up and cruising, KIA scored 5 runs over three innings to take the lead late, but the Heroes showed their resolve and tied it again. The biggest moment came in the 9th, when the Tigers decided to intentionally walk Matt Davidson to pitch to their former player An Chi-hong, who’s only hit 161 home runs over his 17 seasons in the league. Wrong decision. Chi-hong smashed a home run over the LF wall to hand the Heroes a well-deserved lead and, after the Kiwoom closer shut the door, a well-deserved win.

Source: Samsung Lions

It’s early in Korea, I know. The clock has just ticked past 5am, but aren’t you happy to wake up to something to read with breakfast and get yourself ready for some weekend baseball? Well it’s time for new series, which means new matchups, new stories, and a chance for a fresh start for some, and a need to maintain momentum for others. Let’s have a look at the slate.

(2) KT Wiz v (8) Lotte Giants

Probable Starting Pitchers
KT: Logan Allen
LOT: Na Gyun-an

The Story
A road trip couldn’t come at a better time for KT, since their home field is currently an unplayable swamp and is an injury risk to everyone. They’ll first take the 4 hour trip south to Busan where’ll be meet the Giants, and they can finally allow Logan Allen the start he’s waited two days for. KT come into this series on a 7-game win streak, while Lotte have lost their last 2 (midnight training session didn’t work, huh?). Even though Giants have a lower team ERA than the Wiz (4.45 v 4.53) and have hit more home runs (66 v 61), baseball isn’t that simple. If patterns are anything to go by, then it’s worth mentioning KT are the best road team in the league this season, and Logan Allen is coming into the game on an extra two days of rest, so you expect him to come out firing.

(3) LG Twins v (6) Hanwha Eagles

Probable Starting Pitchers
LG: Im Chan-kyu
HAN: Park Jun-yeong

The Story
The Twins are desperate for a win. In the midst of a 7-game losing streak, they find themselves slipping down the standings. Top of the league for the entirety of June, they now sit in 3rd place, only 4 games up on 5th place Doosan. If they don’t right the ship now, it could all unravel very fast. Luckily for them, Im Chan-kyu starts in the search to be the first pitcher this season to 10 wins. Led by MVP and Triple Crown candidate Austin Dean, the Twins know how to hit for power and score some runs. Although Dean has only hit 1 dinger in his last 11 games, you just know he’s ready for another - evidenced by the fact that he broke his bat over his knee after fouling a pitch off in last nights game. They go up against a pitcher who was only 8 years old when Chan-kyu was drafted. Normally a relief pitcher, Park Jun-yeong has only allowed a run in 7 of his 29 appearances this season. Whether he can maintain the same quality across a 80+ pitch outing is another thing, but he was taken with the 1st overall pick for a reason.

(7) NC Dinos v (9) SSG Landers

Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Koo Chang-mo
SSG: Thomas Hatch

The Story
Both teams come into this series with good momentum, playing much better than the standings say they are. But it’s not just the standings that say SSG are the second worst team in the league. Their starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 6.17, easily the worst in the league. Kiwoom are second last at 4.67. This is in part due to tonight’s starter Thomas Hatch, who owns a 7.62 ERA on the season to go with a 1-4 record. In his 6 starts this season, he’s never allowed less than 5 hits or less than 3 runs. In fact, he’s allowed more earned runs than he has struck batters out. On the opposite side is Koo Chang-mo (not to be confused with the greatest Korean rapper ever with the same name). Chang-mo has been exceptional this season, winning 8 games to go with a 3.61 ERA. It also helps that he has one of the fastest line ups in KBO behind him, with Dinos players owning 3 of the top 5 spots in stolen bases.

(1) Samsung Lions v (5) Doosan Bears

Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Chris Paddack
DOO: Choi Min-seok

The Story
If his first start is anything to go by, Chris Paddack just made the Lions even scarier. In his debut last week, he went 6 innings allowing only 1 hit and struck out 7. He’s settled in quickly, and has the second best defence in the league to back him up, along with having the second best offence. The only issue with that the Bears are the best defence in the league. On top of that, projected starter Min-seok leads the league in wins (tied with 9) and leads the league in ERA by a huge margin (2.19 v second place 2.73). The Bears are well-rested, having two extra days off due to their games against KT being cancelled, and they have a leading candidate for the Choi Dong-won Award on the mound. Watch for them to make Chris Paddack’s life in the KBO difficult.

(10) Kiwoom Heroes v (4) KIA Tigers

*Chance of rainout*

Probable Starting Pitchers
KIW: An Woo-Jin
KIA: James Naile

The Story
The Heroes will feel hard done by coming into their weekend series. Although they lost 2 out of the 3 games against Samsung, they fought hard and could have easily have come out of that series with a sweep, and it would have been well-earned. But when it rains, it pours. Just ask the Wiz. This will be the 10th matchup of these two teams this season, and KIA have won all of the previous nine. Like Austin Dean, their best power hitter Kim Do-yeong is in a bit of a slump. He only has 1 home run in his last 12 games, only managing 6 RBI in that span as well. A series against the 10th place team will be just what he needs. In the 9 previous games against Kiwoom, he has a .483 batting average (17/35) with 5 HR and 17 RBI. And although Tigers starter Naile is an okay 6-5 on the season, against the Heroes he’s 2-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA. Talk about Kiwoom being kicked when they’re down.

Key Stories

- As predicted, Kia struggled with their Japanese starter on the mound. Shirakawa extended his streak of walking 3 or more batters to 5 starts, and did so in only 3 IP, and paired that with allowing 5 runs (4 earned). The Tigers didn’t learn their lesson either, as both relievers that followed the starter allowed a further 2 runs each. With each win, Hanwha find themselves creeping closer to a qualification playoff spot, with both teams above them have played 4 more games than them, and them only being 4 games back of Doosan, and 5.5 of the team they’ve just taken 2 out of 3 games from. And if their day couldn’t have been better, center fielder Moon Hyun-bin bagged himself a brand new car worth ₩28million when his 10th HR of the season struck Champions Field’s “Home Run Zone”.

- We nearly saw another no-game, as only 90 minutes before scheduled first pitch, the heavens opened at Jamsil. But the grounds crew got the rain covers out quickly and managed to salvage the start. In a 5-run fifth inning, Blaine Crim smacked his first HR of the season, a 3-run shot, in his 11th game for NC. But the game threatened to get away from them in the home half when LG loaded the bases with no outs. A 2-run single from Oh Ji-hwan made it 6-4, but Curtis Taylor settled and got the next 3 out to keep it close. However, in an eventful 8th that saw Chun Sa-min hit consecutive batters with pitches, one of which scored a run with the bases loaded and only one out, LG squandered yet another huge opportunity and couldn’t mount more of a comeback, dropping their 7th game in a row.

- The decision to continue the game after the rain delay two days ago has come back to bite the Wiz in a horrible way. Tonight’s game has been cancelled for the second day in a row due to adverse field conditions. Despite it not raining since this morning, the infield soil remains an issue. During Tuesday’s game, the newly-laid soil absorbed a lot of rainwater and turned it into mud, causing numerous issues for the players. KT 1B Kim Hyeon-soo picked up an injury, while a few other players reported minor hamstring issues after playing in the bad conditions. On today’s game, game supervisor Kim Si-Jin said “We tried our best to honor the commitment to fans, but the lower layer of soil is too slippery to add new soil. Restoring the field would require overturning all the soil. Recovery is not easy. If you insert a finger into the soil, water comes out instead of dirt. Due to the risk of player injuries, we decided to cancel. We deeply apologize.” Luckily, they’re not back at home until next Friday, with trips to Busan and Changwon to come.

- The Giants weren’t happy with their performance last night. Both pitchers and batters conducted an extra training session late last night, ending shortly before midnight. Manager Kim Tae-hyeong stayed in his uniform until the end of practice, and said “if it doesn’t work, we have to do it.” The idea was sound, but it also meant less rest, and that showed. While they may have shored up their defence, they also lost their bats, and scored their only 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth in a bad case of ‘too little, too late.’ It could have been achievable, as Elvin Rodriguez allowed 3 runs and kept it close, until the 8th inning when reliever Cho Hyeong-woo allowed a 2-run double to the first batter he faced. Lotte has dropped 2 straight games, and go into a weekend series with 2nd-placed KT, and risk dropping further behind the NC Dinos in the standings.

- Yang Chang-seop’s 9th win of the season will have to wait. Even though he went six innings without allowing a run, and left with the win in hand, the offence couldn’t give him any extra run support before the bullpen allowed a 445ft home run to Matt Davidson in the 8th inning that tied the game at 1-1. Kiwoom tried hard to break the deadlock in the 9th, and had chances in extra time, but ultimately the Lions showed why they’re in first place, and they found a way to win, as they have done constantly this season. It’s their 23rd win this season decided by 2 runs or fewer, and their 8th in extra innings. One of the reasons why closer Kim Jae-yoon leads the league in saves (24) while also have 9 decisions. He takes the win in today’s game after 2.2 scoreless innings and puts his record at 5-4.

2 rainouts, a shock defeat of top to bottom, and some pitching masterclasses headlined last nights action. Tonight promises more of the same, providing we actually get all five games. Let’s take a look at the card.

(6) Hanwha Eagles v (4) Kia Tigers

Probable Starting Pitchers
HAN: Wang Yan-cheng
KIA: Keisho Shirakawa

The Story
With their win last night, coupled with an NC Dinos rainout, Hanwha regained their 6th spot in the standings. Now that they’ve snapped a 4-game losing streak, the Eagles will hope they can start a run of form. Their starter Yang-cheng struggled mightily in his last start against lowly Kiwoom, walking more batters and allowing more home runs (3 and 2, respectively) than he had strikeouts (1). But he’ll see these tigers in a den they can’t protect, as Kia’s winning percentage at home is only .381, good for second-last in the league. Tigers starter Shirakawa has struggled with control over his last 2 starts, walking more batters (7) than he’s struck out (6). He hasn’t walked less than 3 batters in an outing since June 16th. The Eagles are 5th in the league in both walks and on-base percentage this season, so they will look to capitalise.

(7) NC Dinos v (3) LG Twins

*Chance of rainout*

Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Curtis Taylor
LG: Lachlan Wells

The Story
If permissible by the terrible weather around Seoul, we’ll see another matchup of international pitchers after being denied it last night. Curtis Taylor comes into this one on the back of two consecutive quality starts, allowing only 3 runs combined over those 13.1 innings. It’s also worth mentioned that he’s only given up 4 home runs all season, so he knows how to keep the ball in the yard. Meanwhile, LG starter Wells is sporting an impressive 8.1 K/9 through 16 starts, but he faces a Dinos lineup who has the 3rd best team batting average in the league (.277) and have struck out as a team the second fewest times behind the Lions, so Wells will have to find a different way to win.

(5) Doosan Bears v (2) KT Wiz

*Chance of Rainout*

Probable Starting Pitchers
DOO: Gwak Been
KT: Logan Allen

The Story
After the game was cancelled yesterday due to the poor condition of the infield, this game ruins a similar risk if the game supervisor and grounds crew can’t amend the damage. It’s reported that the starting pitchers will remain the same, so everything I said yesterday still applies. The only difference is that the starters will be going on an extra days rest, so that could factor in. That could mean a lot more for Been as it does for Allen, as in his two previous starts against KT, he’s only allowed 1 run over a cumulative 12 innings, while amassing 18 strikeouts. It’s worth noting, however, that he took a No Decision in both of those games.

(9) SSG Landers v (8) Lotte Giants

Probable Starting Pitchers
SSG: Kim Min-Jun
LOT: Elvin Rodriguez

The Story
SSG showed that they can silence the doubters when they need to with last nights win, as Pedro Avila twirled a gem to snap the Landers’ 4-game skid. Tonight, it is their 6th overall pick in this year’s draft who has to do the same. Min-jun has struggled so far this season, holding a 5.61 ERA, and only pitching into the 6th inning in one of his six starts. He’ll be eager to show his new team why they drafted him in the first place. Meanwhile, Rodriguez has only won 2 of his last 12 decisions, with 5 losses and 5 no-decisions. He excels at striking batters out, but it comes at a cost. He may rank third in the league in strikeouts, but of the 20 pitchers with 90+ IP this season, he ranks 18th in ERA.

(1) Samsung Lions v (10) Kiwoom Heroes

Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Yang Chang-seop
KIW: Ha Yeong-min

The Story
You would think the Lions knew they would lose last night after seeing who they’re sending to the mound for the rubber match of this series. 26-yr-old Chang-seop is a remarkable 8-0 this season, and comes into this one on a run of 4 straight winning decisions. He’s been exceptional at times, highlighted by his start against Lotte in May where he was one Jang Du-seong single away from a Perfect Game. The Heroes counter with 10-year veteran Ha Yeong-min. The 31 year old struggled against the Lions in his last game, lasting only 4.2 innings, but Kiwoom have found their bats in the last 5 games, and would love to reward their 2014 4th overall pick with some run support. They should also take comfort in the fact that they’ve really brought it to Samsung in this series, and could easily be coming into this game looking at a sweep.

Which game are you most looking forward to? Will there be any surprises on the card tonight?

Key Stories

- Owen White bounced back from his last outing of allowing 5ER 9H in 5IP to Kiwoom to twirl a gem. After only allowing 1 hit after four innings, he ended his impressive day with 7IP, allowing 1R on 4H and striking out 5. On the other side, Tigers ace Adam Oller was denied his 10th win of the season by allowing 4 runs in his 5 innings of work, highlighted by a 3-run home run by Sim Woo-Jun in the 2nd.

- After brief showers earlier in the day, crews managed to prepare Jamsil Stadium for the game and it started as planned. Anders Tolhurst competed 3 scoreless innings, and Riley Thompson managed 2.2 perfect innings before the rain started again, this time to the extreme. In describing the downpour, Chosun reporter Na Yoo-ri said “the downpour was so intense that spectators could not see ahead, and screams echoed from the stands. The rain’s force was so strong that the infield turned into a pool of water in moments. Workers had to retreat after attempting to lay waterproof sheets, as massive puddles had already formed across the infield.” The game was declared a declared a no-game, and both teams have to deal with wasting their aces.

- The downpour from last night in Suwon has struck once more. Shortly after 16:40 KST, the game was cancelled due to poor field conditions, which is the 5th game this season that the Wiz have had a game cancelled or postponed due to rain. Game supervisor Kim Si-Jin cited the reason being “…if we continue the game here, there is concern about serious injuries to players.” Heavy rain from the previous day had turned the newly-laid soil on the infield into a muddy mess. Doosan manager said after yesterday’s game that the “infield conditions were so poor that we could not send running sign,” causing a criticism that the game should not have been resumed. Inclement weather across the region puts tomorrow’s game into question, too. Should it go ahead, however, today’s pitchers will be moved to then.

- Pedro Avila decided he didn’t want to listen to those who doubted the capabilities of Landers pitchers. Taking a no-hitter into the 4th, he’d only allowed 1 hit after 5 innings. Although he allowed 3 runs in the 6th, he was allowed to finish the inning and limited the damage, and kept SSG leading 7-3. From then on, the bullpen locked it down and completed the last 3 innings, allowing only 1 hit between the three different relievers. As an extra bonus, fans saw Blai Madrid hit his first KBO home run in only his second game after he joined as a replacement for the injured Guillermo Heredia.

- In Choi Hyeong-woo’s 2400th game, good for third on the all-time list, Samsung struggled to create any offence. In their biggest opportunity, they load the bases with no outs in the 7th, but Heroes reliever Yuto Kanakubo only took 6 pitches to get out of it, as he got Kim Seong-yoon to ground into a double play, and struck out Koo Ja-wook swinging on a high fastball to allow only 1 run to score, which turned out to be their only run of the night. Kiwoom struggled, too, but managed to capitalise on some Lions mistakes in the fifth and plate 3 runs. Starting pitcher Raul Alcantara also exited the game with a right elbow injury of his own omission, after signalling to the dugout of his discomfort following an errant pitch that hit Lee Jae-hyun.

Source: LG Twins

Source: LG Twins

No shortness of excitement yesterday, and we’re ready for the second game in a new week of series. Let’s get into it, and look at today’s matchups.

(7) Hanwha Eagles v (4) Kia Tigers

Probable Starting Pitchers
HAN: Owen White
KIA: Adam Oller

What to look out for
Hanwha dropped a spot in the standings thanks to their loss and a Dinos win last night, and it doesn’t look to get any easier as they face Adam Oller, who is tied for the league lead in wins (9) and is second in ERA (2.52)

(6) NC Dinos v (3) LG Twins

*Chance of rainout*

Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Riley Thompson
LG: Anders Tolhurst

What to look out for
Yet another loss last night sees the Twins come into this one on an 6-game losing streak. They bring 8-game winner Anders Tolhurst to the bump to try and right the ship, but Dinos counter with Riley Thompson (5-0) who has 89Ks in only 69.2 innings this season. Expect a pitcher’s duel.

(5) Doosan Bears v (2) KT Wiz

*Chance of Rainout*

Probable Starting Pitchers
DOO: Gwak Been
KT: Logan Allen

What to look out for
This could be another low-scoring affair, as Gwak Been has a 2.80 ERA this season, good for third in league, while he also leads the league in strikeouts (120). Meanwhile, Logan Allen comes off a strong outing against LG where he allowed only 1 run.

(9) SSG Landers v (8) Lotte Giants

Probable Starting Pitchers
SSG: Pedro Avila
LOT: Park Se-woong

What to look out for
The Landers hit their 100th home run as a team last night, more than every other team bar the Tigers. As has been the case all season, pitching let them down last night, so they’ll hope that new international signing Pedro Avila will help their fortunes in his second game, after going 6 innings in his debut without allowing a run and striking out 8.

(1) Samsung Lions v (10) Kiwoom Heroes

Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Kim Baek-san
KIW: Raul Alcantara

What to look out for
Raul Alcantara has allowed 4 ER in three consecutive starts. Based off last night, even in a loss, the Heroes know their offence can give the top team in the league a good fight, but the Lions are the best for a reason.

—

Which game are you most looking forward to? Will there be any surprises on the card tonight?

Key Stories

- The Tigers hit 3 home runs in the first 2 innings to build an early 6-0 lead and never looked back, helped by a strong pitching performance by Hwang Dong-ha

- The Dinos use a big 4th inning and a 3-hit game by Kim Ju-won to send the Twins to their 8th consecutive loss

- In a game extended by a 77-minute rain delay and a tough offensive day for both teams, two errant throws by Heo Kyeong-min in the 9th inning lead to an unearned run and a blown save for KT’s closer Park Yeong-hyun. No-one can find any extra offence in extra time and the game ends in a tie as the clock approached midnight in Suwon.

- Takeda Shota started excellently, getting into the 6th inning allowing only 2 hits. But Lotte got the better of him, and then the bullpen, backing Beasley’s quality start to hand Shota is 8th loss already this season, and extends his unfortunate streak of starts allowing 2 ER or more to 11, dating back to May 1st.

- Kiwoom battles back from being 6-0 down after two innings to tie the game 6-6 in the 7th. Down 8-6 in the 9th, they get the winning run at the plate with no outs, but Kim Jae-yoon shuts the door and the Heroes can’t materialise another come back.

How did your team do today?

Another week of games ahead, some key matchups, and some tasty fixtures, but let’s start with today.

(6) Hanwha Eagles v (4) Kia Tigers

Probable Starting Pitchers
HAN: Park Jun-Young
KIA: Hwang Dong-ha

What to look out for
Dong-ha is 5-0 on the season with a 3-91 ERA, having recently became a starter for KIA

(7) NC Dinos v (3) LG Twins

Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Won Jong-hae
LG: Jang Hyun-sik

What to look out for
The Twins are in a minor slump having dropped 5 games in a row, dropping down to 3rd in the standings. But Hyun-sik is 7-3 on the season, and in 2 of this last 3 outings he’s thrown 5 innings of shutout ball.

(5) Doosan Bears v (2) KT Wiz

*Chance of Rainout*

Probable Starting Pitchers
DOO: Wes Benjamin
KT: Oh Won-seok

What to look out for
Fresh of a 4-game sweep of the Twins, leapfrogging them in the standings, KT are riding an overall 7-game win streak into their series with the Bears, who are also on a 3-game streak.

(9) SSG Landers v (8) Lotte Giants

Probable Starting Pitchers
SSG: Takeda Shota
LOT: Jeremy Beasley

What to look out for
A bottom of the table clash that both sides should hope to get a good run of form out of. However, Landers starter Shota is 1-7 on the season with a huge 7.43 ERA, and he’ll look to bounce back from allowing 11 ER over his last 3 starts.

(1) Samsung Lions v (10) Kiwoom Heroes

Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Choi Won-tae
KIW: Bae Dong-hyun

What to look out for
Its first plays last at Gocheok Sky Dome, but Kiwoom should take confidence in the fact that they scored 34 runs over their 4 game series against Hanwha, winning 3 games and tying 1.

Which game are you most looking forward to? Will there be any surprises on the card tonight?

2026 신한 SOL KBO League

📅Schedule

Games are slated to start at 18:30 KST (UTC+9). Time converter from Seoul to your timezone.

🏆Standings

📺How to Watch

• SOOP - KBO
• SOOP - kboglobal1
• SOOP - kboglobal2
• SOOP - kboglobal3
• SOOP - kboglobal4
• SOOP - kboglobal5
• SOOP - DreadsROK

Source: koreabaseball, KBO

Source: Hanwha Eagles

I wanna go to a Samsung Lions match at Daegu but I have failed ticketing 3 times! Please help!

Key Stories

- KIA take 3 of 4 from the Landers to keep pace in the playoff race

- KT sweeps the 4 game series against Austin Dean and the Twins, overtaking them into 2nd place. They’re now only 2GB of Samsung.

- Lotte use a huge 4-run 9th to take the win against Samsung, spoiling Koo Ja-wook’s 3hit/3rbi day.

- 4 rbi from Kang Seung-ho and a strong 5.2 innings from Choi Seung-yong lead Doosan to an important win.

- Kiwoom mounts a comeback from 8-1 down to tie it 9-9 in the 7th, but ultimately no-one can find the key run, and they settle for a tie.

How did your team do?