'They rested longer than the All-Stars': With a de facto third season opening, who wins in Samsung→KT→'Third Season'?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

This is effectively the opening of a third season.

The 2026 KBO League is scheduled to resume on the 11th after completing its heatwave cancellation period. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) had already canceled 10 games across five stadiums nationwide on the 5th–6 due to extreme heat, and then canceled all 15 games over three days last weekend (the 7th–9).

As a result, all 10 teams faced an unplanned long break. Including the five games that could not be played from the 1st–4 due to heat before the full cancellation of all matches, both KIA Tigers and NC Dinos missed eight games over as many as ten days, while other teams missed five to six games over six to eight days. They rested longer than the All-Star break, which lasted from the 10th to 15 (six days).

If we consider the first half of the regular season up to the All-Star Game as 'Season 1 (March 28–July 9)' and the period after that until the heatwave cancellations as 'Season 2 (July 16–August 4)', it would not be an exaggeration to say that 'Season 3' has now begun.

Given that the league standings shifted dramatically around the All-Star break, this 'heatwave break' could also become a major variable for the remainder of the season.

In the first half, Samsung Lions and LG Twins led the race with no losses, finishing first and second respectively. However, after the start of the second half in 'Season 2', the situation changed significantly.

KT Wiz, which had been in third place, climbed to first place overall with a record of 12 wins, one draw, and one loss in 14 games, boasting an impressive winning percentage of 0.923. The strong performances of Doosan Bears and Kiwoom Heroes were also notable. Doosan posted a 0.667 winning percentage, while Kiwoom recorded 0.563, placing them second and third in winning percentage during this period. In contrast, LG Twins, which had been in second place in the first half, fell to third after struggling with three wins, one draw, and twelve losses in 16 games, resulting in a poor 0.200 winning percentage.

For everyone, this 'heatwave break' could act as either medicine or poison. For struggling players, it may provide a sweet opportunity to rebound through rest; conversely, for teams on an upward trend, it could become a setback that halts their momentum.

Additionally, the total number of games canceled due to heat this season reached 30, surpassing the 25th games canceled due to rain (including ground conditions). Therefore, even after completing all scheduled games through September 6, there will still be 45 unassigned games remaining, bringing the total to 100 games left. With each team needing to play an average of 20 additional games, a grueling schedule is expected in the remaining fixtures after September 8.

Furthermore, with the variable of national team players leaving their clubs for two weeks ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (baseball scheduled from the 21st–27), the race for standings this season is expected to plunge into even more unpredictable chaos.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original