'Hanwha 27 wins 11 losses - NC 30 wins 12 losses - Lotte 28 wins 9 losses': A winning percentage above 70% is required to make it to the 'autumn baseball' playoffs

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As of the 19th, the gap between fifth-place Doosan Bears and sixth-place Hanwha Eagles is eight games. With each team having 32 to 42 games remaining, this appears to be a significant margin. Nevertheless, teams including seventh-place NC Dinos and eighth-place Lotte Giants are not giving up on their dreams of reaching the autumn playoffs and are fighting until the very end.

So, what kind of performance must these three teams achieve in their remaining games to have any chance of securing one of the top five spots—the final threshold for postseason qualification? While this depends on the results of higher-ranked teams, we can infer the 'minimum record' needed by the chasing teams if fifth-place Doosan maintains a +9 win differential with a .500 winning percentage in their remaining games.

Currently, Hanwha has a -7 win differential, NC has -8, and Lotte has -9. To catch up to Doosan's +9, Hanwha needs a +16 differential, NC needs +17, and Lotte needs +18.

Applying these requirements to each team's remaining games: Hanwha must achieve 27 wins and 11 losses (winning percentage 0.711) in 38 games; NC must record 30 wins and 12 losses (winning percentage 0.714) in 42 games; and Lotte must post 28 wins and 9 losses (winning percentage 0.757) in 37 games to reach a +9 or +10 win differential.

This is by no means an easy task. A winning percentage in the 70s means averaging three wins for every four games played. For example, teams would need to repeat patterns such as three consecutive wins followed by one loss.

Moreover, as the leading teams pull further ahead, the chasing teams will require even more victories. Fourth-place KIA Tigers (with a +10 win differential) and Doosan have been in excellent form recently, recording 7-3 and 6-1-3 records, respectively, over their last ten games.

A key variable is the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games. Players from Joo Chuk-in (CEO) teams will be absent for about two weeks starting around September 14, one week before the baseball tournament (the 21st–27). Hanwha has had infielders Noh Si-hwan and Moon Hyun-bin selected; NC has only position players like Kim Ju-won called up; and Lotte has pitchers Choi Jun-yong and Kim Jin-wook, along with outfielder Yoon Dong-hee, chosen.

For these three teams, if they can narrow the gap to third- or fourth-place teams by about three to four games before the Asian Games, a dramatic turnaround would be worth pursuing. In fact, last year NC was in eighth place, trailing fifth-place KT Wiz by three games as of September 6 with 19 games remaining. However, they went on an impressive run, finishing with 14 wins and five losses (winning percentage 0.737), including a nine-game winning streak at the end, to secure the final playoff spot. Let's watch with interest whether a miracle story will unfold again this year.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original