“Rookies, this is the Bears” — Last year’s 9th-place Doosan needs just one win against NC to reach the postseason… A perfect offensive and defensive performance in a 1-win victory [Jamsil on-site report]

*This content was translated by AI.

A game where rookies visited the venue in person. The Doosan Bears secured a thrilling victory with flawless performance. Now, if they win just one of their remaining two games against the NC Dinos, their spot in the fall postseason is locked in.

The Doosan Bears, managed by Kim Won-hyung (54), defeated the NC Dinos 5-2 in a home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 29th.

Doosan, currently ranked 5th with a record of 68 wins, 63 losses, and 5 draws, extended their lead over 6th-place NC (62 wins, 71 losses, 2 draws) to 7 games. If they win just one of their remaining two games against NC on the 30th and the 1st, Doosan’s 5th-place finish is secured even if they lose all other remaining games.

Even if they drop both games against NC, they only need to win two of their remaining six games. For NC, they would have to sweep both games and see Doosan suffer a fatal slump in their remaining schedule to reverse the standings—a situation where it is no exaggeration to say the rankings are effectively set.

The day was designated as “Rookie Bears Day,” with 11 players selected by Doosan in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft visiting the stadium to greet the team. It was a meaningful game featuring a ceremonial first pitch by first-round pick Kim Ji-woo (Seoul High School) and a ceremonial first throw by second-round pick Seol Jae-min (Deoksu High School).

Although they started behind, giving up one run each in the first and second innings, the tide turned with Jeong Soo-bin’s two-run tying RBI hit in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a go-ahead lead. In the third inning, Yang Eui-ji’s home run and additional RBI hits extended the score to 5-2.

Wes Benjamin handed the ball to the bullpen after five innings, but Takada Takuto shut down the opposition perfectly in the sixth and seventh innings, while Kim Tae-yeon locked it up in the eighth. In the ninth inning, closer Lee Young-ha took the mound and found himself in a bases-loaded, two-out jam. He allowed a hard-hit ball to Cheon Jae-hwan, but Cheon Jae-hwan threw his body into the play to field the grounder, ending the game right there.

After the game, Manager Kim Won-hyung said, “It was an important game, and starter Benjamin held on until the fifth inning despite giving up runs early.” He added, “Takada’s two-inning relief effort was crucial, and Kim Tae-yeon and Lee Young-ha handled the tense situations in the final two innings well,” praising the pitchers first.

He continued, “At the plate, Jeong Soo-bin changed the game’s momentum with a tying RBI hit in the bottom of the second inning, and Ahn Jae-seok swung confidently from the first pitch to deliver the winning hit. Ahn Jae-seok also showed fantastic defense today,” giving them a thumbs-up.

It was a game where it was hard to single out just one player for praise. It was truly a victory made by “Team Bears.” Manager Kim added, “I also want to praise Yang Eui-ji for his go-ahead home run in the third inning, Jo Su-haeng for his double with one out and a runner on first, and Kim Min-seok for his aggressive baserunning.”

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*This content was translated by AI.