Unbelievable! The threat of LG being locked out of fourth place before even facing their direct rival... Will KIA's final game in Gwangju lose its significance?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Even if they win all remaining games, securing third place is not guaranteed. The LG Twins have lost the possibility of directly qualifying for the Junior Playoffs (Junior PO) with just two games left in the regular season. They are now in a position where they must wait for their rival, the KIA Tigers, to lose.

On the 9th, at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium, LG suffered a 1-9 defeat in their away game against the Lotte Giants in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

Meanwhile, KIA defeated the NC Dinos 7-2 on the same day in Changwon. As a result, third-place KIA recorded 77 wins, 2 draws, and 62 losses (winning percentage 0.554), while fourth-place LG recorded 77 wins, 1 draw, and 64 losses (winning percentage 0.546). The gap between the two teams, which had been separated by just a winning percentage difference of 0.0007 with no game differential prior to the games, instantly widened to one game.

The issue is the remaining schedule. LG will face Lotte in Busan on the 10th, take a day off on the 11th, and play their final regular season game against KIA in Gwangju on the 12th. KIA will host the SSG Landers on the 10th, Lotte on the 11th, and LG on the 12th, in that order.

LG's situation is clear. Even if they win both remaining games, reclaiming third place is impossible if KIA defeats both SSG and Lotte consecutively. In fact, if LG finishes the season with a two-game winning streak, their final record will be 79 wins, 1 draw, and 64 losses, for a winning percentage of 0.552. However, if KIA beats both SSG and Lotte, they will lead LG with a record of 79 wins, 2 draws, and 63 losses (winning percentage 0.556), even if they lose to LG in the final matchup.

Conversely, if LG wins both remaining games and KIA loses at least once to either SSG or Lotte, LG can reverse the standings. For LG, it is essential to win all their games and then watch the results of KIA's matches.

The situation has changed dramatically from just a few days ago. On the 6th, at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, LG defeated NC 6-1, escaping an agonizing eight-game losing streak. At that time, KIA lost, erasing the game differential between the two teams, and LG regained the opportunity to secure third place on their own by winning all remaining games.

Following this, they built momentum with a victory in their final home game against the Doosan Bears on the 7th, but they squandered that opportunity within two days. The opponent was eighth-place Lotte, whose elimination from the Postseason (PS) had already been confirmed. LG started Carlos Karasuko, who has a career record of 112 wins in Major League Baseball, but failed to score against Lotte's 20-year-old rookie Kim Han-gyeol, except for Moon Jung-bin's solo home run in the fourth inning.

The team's offense managed only two hits, and combined with a throwing error by third baseman Moon Bo-kyung, they allowed five runs in the seventh inning alone. They left much to be desired in both pitching and batting in a game that was crucial for the race for third place.

Even more concerning is the management of their remaining starting pitchers. LG Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) stated ahead of the Lotte game on the 9th, "First, we are carefully considering options one through three with the coaching staff. We are looking at the situation day by day with the mindset that we must win every game." Specifically regarding the starter for the Lotte game on the 10th, he revealed, "Tomorrow's starter is the most ambiguous. There is a possibility that Tolerhurst will pitch after four days of rest. It is complicated in many ways."

Anders Tolerhurst pitched five innings and allowed two runs against KIA on the 5th. If he starts on the 10th, it will be his first appearance after four days of rest. Lim Chan-gyu, who has recorded 15 wins, started against Doosan on the 7th, so he can only be deployed in the final game against KIA on the 12th.

Unlike LG, which must worry about its next starter immediately, KIA can secure third place regardless of other teams' results if they win two of their remaining three games. If they win both games on the 10th and 11th, the result of their final matchup with LG will not affect the standings.

The difference between third and fourth place is not just a single step. Third place qualifies directly for the Junior PO starting on the 17th. After finishing the regular season, they can take sufficient rest while waiting for the winner of the Wild Card Decider. On the other hand, fourth place must play the Wild Card Decider against fifth-place Doosan starting from the 14th. Although they start with a one-game advantage, they bear the burden of potentially playing up to two additional games. In particular, Doosan has formidable starting pitching resources such as Gwak Bin, Wes Benjamin, and Choi Min-seok.

LG also lost all three games in their series against KIA held at Jamsil from the 3rd to the 5th. After ceding third place at that time, they have failed to reclaim the position. Now, LG has only two games left. They must definitely defeat Lotte on the 10th and win their final matchup against KIA on the 12th. Even then, they must wait for KIA to lose to at least one of SSG or Lotte.

LG's starting pitcher for the 10th has been finally decided as Tolerhurst. Facing him, Lotte announced Na Gyun-an as their starter. LG, which had been competing within the top three throughout the season, found itself in the most disadvantageous position at the end of the regular season.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original