“Unstoppable six-game winning streak”: Samsung’s path to a self-determined championship is narrow! Only a 13-game winning streak can deliver the season “finale”

*This content was translated by AI.

It is an unstoppable six-game winning streak. However, for the Samsung Lions, it is not a time to rejoice unreservedly. The reason is that first-place KT Wiz also secured a victory. Even with a win, it does not feel like a true gain. Now, the only remaining scenario for Samsung to clinch the championship on their own merits is the “sole possible case.”

Samsung defeated the Doosan Bears 6-4 in a home game held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 3rd. The lineup’s concentration was fierce from the start. In the bottom of the first inning, Lewin Diaz drew a refreshing leadoff three-run home run, instantly seizing the momentum. Although they faced a crisis due to Doosan’s tenacious pursuit in the middle and late stages of the game, the bullpen overcame critical moments at key junctures, firmly maintaining the lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, when the tension was taut and Samsung led by a slim 5-4 margin, Kim Young-woong’s decisive solo home run completely crushed the opponent’s will to chase, serving as the game-clinching blow.

With this victory, Samsung extended their unstoppable winning streak to six games, recording a season record of 82 wins, 52 losses, and 3 draws (winning percentage 0.612). However, on the same day, leader KT (85 wins, 49 losses, 4 draws, winning percentage 0.634) also harvested a victory against the Lotte Giants, keeping the gap between the two teams at three games.

As of the game played on the 3rd, Samsung has seven games remaining, while KT has six. Considering the number of remaining games and the three-game lead difference, the situation appears desperate. However, arithmetically, the door to a “self-determined championship” for Samsung is not yet closed. There are no other options, though. To clinch the championship on their own merits, they must decorate the season finale with a “13-game winning streak,” sweeping all seven remaining games in addition to the current six-game streak.

The decisive key to making this tightrope-walking scenario work is the three head-to-head matchups between the two teams. If Samsung wins all their remaining seven games to complete a 13-game winning streak (final record: 89 wins, 52 losses, 3 draws), KT will inevitably bear three losses in those head-to-head matches against Samsung.

In this scenario, even if KT sweeps all three of their remaining games at other venues and finishes the schedule with a 3-3 record (final record: 88 wins, 52 losses, 4 draws), the standings will be reversed based on winning percentage. This is because Samsung’s final winning percentage upon achieving a 13-game winning streak would be 0.6312 (89 wins, 52 losses), whereas KT’s maximum winning percentage would be limited to 0.6286 (88 wins, 52 losses). In other words, if Samsung sweeps their seven games, they will secure first place by a margin of 0.0026 and lift the championship trophy on their own merits, regardless of the results in games at other venues. This is the only path to determining the championship without relying on others.

However, conversely, the moment Samsung records even one loss, the door to a self-determined championship closes immediately. If Samsung stops at 6 wins and 1 loss (winning percentage 0.6241), and KT secures three wins against other teams after losing three head-to-head games (winning percentage 0.6286), the championship trophy will belong to KT. Put differently, from KT’s perspective, winning just one of the three head-to-head matches against Samsung would allow them to occupy a favorable position.

For Samsung, a loss in any remaining game means elimination; it is a cliffhanger battle. However, given Samsung’s momentum, which is unleashing terrifying late-game power while riding a six-game winning streak, it cannot be definitively ruled out as impossible. It remains highly intriguing whether the Lion Army can complete the most brilliant finale of the 2026 season with the “miracle of a 13-game winning streak,” sweeping their remaining seven games.

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*This content was translated by AI.