Could it be? The LG-KIA final showdown is truly coming... If this happens, only Doosan will be overjoyed with a '9th to 5th' leap... Why?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The 1st, 2nd, and 5th place standings have now been decided. Only the teams that will take 3rd and 4th place remain to be determined. And this race for position shows signs of continuing until the final game of the regular season.

Doosan lost 5-7 in their away game against LG in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, played at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 7th.

This game was the last regular-season matchup between LG and Doosan to be held at Jamsil Stadium, which is scheduled to disappear after this season. That made it all the more meaningful. In this game, played as an LG home game, LG was the one that laughed last.

With this loss, Doosan has recorded 73 wins, 65 losses, and 5 ties, with only one game remaining in this season.

As a result, Doosan's 5th place finish has been officially confirmed regardless of the results of the other teams. The fact that Doosan, who finished 9th last season, successfully advanced to the postseason by finishing 5th can certainly be called a major achievement.

Above all, Doosan boasted a formidable pitching staff this season, rising to rank 1st in team ERA (as of 8 a.m. on the 8th, with an ERA of 3.84).

KBO League's top ace Kwak Bin recorded 11 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 2.24, while national team player Choi Min-seok dominated with 14 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 3.20. In addition, the foreign one-two punch delivered their share, with Benjamin posting 9 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 2.71, and Jacklog recording 8 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 4.27.

Doosan will now play their final regular-season game against the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on the 12th. This will also be Doosan's last home game at Jamsil Stadium.

However, more important than the win or loss on that day is undoubtedly the first game of the Wild Card Series to be held two days later, on the 14th.

Doosan is expected to start Kwak Bin. In addition, all remaining starting pitcher resources, excluding the starter for the second game of the Wild Card Series, will wait in the bullpen. Previously, Manager Kim Won-hyung of Doosan stated, "First and foremost, we must win the Wild Card Series. (In the case of rising to 5th place) with the starters for the first and second games already decided, we will have all the other starting pitchers on standby (for the first and second games)."

Short series are battles of momentum, so no one can predict the outcome. If Doosan, led by a manager with experience winning the Korean Series championship, four certain starting cards, and a young lineup united by passion, truly gets into the zone, a feast of upsets could unfold.

There is one scenario that Doosan desires most. That is for the 3rd and 4th place teams to remain undecided until the final regular-season game on the 12th. In this case, LG and KIA would have no choice but to pour everything into a life-or-death stance to secure 3rd place at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 12th. This is because advancing directly to the Junior Playoffs as the 3rd-place team and playing through the Wild Card Series while aiming for a Junior Playoff berth as the 4th-place team are worlds apart.

Manager Kim Won-hyung revealed before the game against LG at Jamsil on the 7th that he was "planning in two directions" regarding the final regular-season game on the 12th. And with Doosan's loss, only one direction remains now. If Doosan's ranking had not been decided by the 12th, there was a high possibility they would have pulled out Choi Min-seok or a foreign starter card in the final game against Lotte. However, with their 5th-place finish confirmed, they can now focus everything on the first game of the Wild Card Series.

Doosan must win both the first and second games of the Wild Card Series to advance to the Junior Playoffs. What kind of resilience will Doosan show in this year's postseason? The expectations of Doosan fans are rising.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original