"Couldn't win, but magic number is 2": KT and Lotte end in a tie after an 11-inning thriller... Samsung's 0-12 loss puts KT on the brink of clinching first place in the regular season [Suwon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The KT Wiz, a professional baseball team, are just two steps away from securing their second regular-season championship since their founding.

In a home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 4th, KT fought to an 11-inning tie against the Lotte Giants, ending in a 2-2 draw.

With this result, KT extended their winning streak to five games, improving their record to 85 wins, 5 draws, and 49 losses. They widened the gap to 3.5 games over the Samsung Lions (82 wins, 3 draws, 53 losses), who suffered a 0-12 blowout loss to the Doosan Bears on the same day, reducing their magic number from "4" to "2." If KT wins and Samsung loses in the game scheduled for the 5th, the first and second places in the regular season will be decided. Lotte maintained its eighth-place standing with a record of 61 wins, 3 draws, and 73 losses.

The starting pitching matchup was evenly matched. KT's Bae Je-seong pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing 8 hits (including 1 home run), with no walks, striking out 2 batters and giving up 1 run. Lotte's Na Gyun-an pitched 5 innings, allowing 8 hits, issuing 1 walk, striking out 3 batters and giving up 2 runs. Neither pitcher was credited with a win or loss. The bullpens of both teams also performed well. KT's Park Young-hyun threw a perfect game over 1⅓ innings, recording only 2 strikeouts. Son Dong-hyun pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings, and Sugimoto Kouki closed the door with 1 scoreless inning. For Lotte, Iimura Shota pitched 2 scoreless innings in strong form.

The two teams engaged in a slugfest, with KT recording 9 hits and Lotte recording 13. For KT, Choi Won-jun went 2-for-5 with 1 run scored, Kim Hyun-soo went 2-for-4, and An Hyun-min went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI. For Lotte, Na Seung-yeop went 3-for-5, Hwang Sung-bin went 2-for-6, and Reyes went 2-for-4 with 1 walk and 1 run scored.

Meanwhile, KT drew a sellout crowd of 18,700 spectators one hour before the start of the game, marking their 27th sellout of the season. Their cumulative home attendance reached 985,572, leaving them just 14,428 fans short of reaching 10 thousand won home attendees for the first time in franchise history.

KT fielded its starting lineup with Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), An Hyun-min (right fielder), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Jang Sung-woo (designated hitter), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). Bae Je-seong was the starting pitcher.

In response, Lotte constructed its batting order with Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Victor Reyes (designated hitter), Han Dong-hee (third baseman), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Son Seong-bin (catcher), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), and Jo Se-jin (left fielder). Na Gyun-an was the starting pitcher.

The home team KT scored first. In the bottom of the 1st inning, leadoff batters Choi Won-jun and Kim Hyun-soo hit consecutive singles to load the bases with runners on first and third. An Hyun-min attacked Na Gyun-an's first pitch, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field for 1 RBI, giving KT a 1-0 lead.

In the 2nd inning, leadoff batters Jang Sung-woo and Kim Sang-su again hit consecutive singles to create a runner on first and third with no outs. Heo Kyung-min flied out to third base, and Han Seung-taek grounded into a double play at third, resulting in Jang Sung-woo being caught stealing from third base, leaving runners on second and third with two outs. However, Jang Jun-won hit a single to center field for 1 RBI, keeping the opportunity alive. KT took a 2-0 lead.

Lotte eventually launched a counterattack. In the top of the 5th inning, with one out, Jo Se-jin hit a solo home run over the center field fence. Jo Se-jin crushed Bae Je-seong's 147 km/h four-seam fastball, hitting his second home run of the season with a carry distance of 142.3 meters.

After that, both teams continued in a frustrating flow. KT first created a runner on first and second with one out in the bottom of the 5th inning via consecutive singles by Choi Won-jun and Kim Hyun-soo. However, An Hyun-min struck out swinging, and Hilliard hit a liner to shortstop, ending the inning without scoring.

Lotte also created a runner on first and second with one out in the top of the 6th inning via a single to right field by Han Dong-hee and a walk by Jeon Min-jae. In the meantime, the mound changed from Bae Je-seong to Kim Jung-un, and Son Seong-bin grounded into a double play off Kim Jung-un's changeup, halting Lotte's pursuit.

For Lotte, the top of the 8th inning was the most disappointing. Victor Reyes hit a double over the left fielder's head, Han Dong-hee drew a walk, and Ko Seung-min hit an infield single to load the bases with no outs. KT's mound was replaced by Son Dong-hyun. The ball hit by Jeon Min-jae on Son Dong-hyun's second pitch rolled in front of the shortstop. The KT infield attempted a double play, but Jeon Min-jae reached first base one step ahead, resulting in only the runner on second being out. Meanwhile, the runner on third scored to tie the game at 2-2.

Even Son Seong-bin's ground ball was caught by third baseman Heo Kyung-min, and the runner on third, Han Tae-yang, was erased via a double play. Subsequently, Jang Doo-seong also grounded out to third base, resulting in Lotte scoring only 1 run from a bases-loaded opportunity with no outs.

KT also missed one good opportunity. In the bottom of the 8th inning, with one out, An Hyun-min hit a double along the left field line and advanced to third base on Hilliard's ground ball. However, pinch hitter Ryu Hyeon-in grounded out to left field, ending the inning without scoring.

KT closer Park Young-hyun took responsibility for the 9th and 10th innings. In the 9th inning, with two outs, Son Dong-hyun gave up a double along the left field line to Na Seung-yeop. Reyes was then intentionally walked, and the mound was replaced by Park Young-hyun. Park Young-hyun recorded a groundout to shortstop against pinch hitter Jeon Jun-woo, then took the mound in the 10th inning, recording a groundout to shortstop against Ko Seung-min and consecutive strikeouts against Jeon Min-jae and Son Seong-bin. It took 18 pitches to get through this stretch.

The two teams failed to add any more runs thereafter, ending the game in a tie.

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*This content was translated by AI.