Now, "Defeat = Direct Matchup with Kwak Bin" — LG vs. KIA: The Final Showdown in a Single Game Today (the 12th). Who Holds the Advantage?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

In the end, the KIA Tigers and LG Twins will engage in a decisive showdown.

KIA and LG will play the final regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field at 6:30 p.m. on the 12th.

With three games on the 12th, the highly anticipated 2026 KBO regular season will come to a close. The Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants will clash at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, while the KT Wiz and Samsung Lions will face off at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

And the most anticipated game will take place in Gwangju: the matchup between LG and KIA. This single game will determine who finishes third and fourth.

The difference between third and fourth place can be significant. First, the team finishing third advances directly to the 준플레이오프 (Junior Playoffs). They will have four days of rest until the first game of the Junior Playoffs is held on the 17th.

On the other hand, the team in fourth place faces a truly grueling schedule. Starting from the 14th, they must play the first game of the Wild Card Series against the fifth-place Doosan Bears. Moreover, Doosan has KBO League ace Kwak Bin effectively waiting as the starting pitcher for Game 1. A difficult path ahead is expected.

KIA sits in third place with a record of 78 wins, 63 losses, and 2 ties. Meanwhile, fourth-place LG has a record of 78 wins, 74 losses, and 1 tie. The gap between the two teams is 0.5 games. The team that wins today will secure the direct ticket to the Junior Playoffs as the third-place finisher. However, since LG trails by 0.5 games, KIA only needs a tie to clinch third place.

KIA will send "the Tigers' eternal living legend" Yang Hyeon-jong to the mound as the starter. Yang Hyeon-jong has appeared in 25 games this season, recording a 12-6 record with an ERA of 4.29. Over a total of 119⅔ innings, he has allowed 119 hits (14 home runs), issued 57 walks, struck out 82 batters, and conceded 65 runs (57 earned). His walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is 1.47, and his batting average against is 0.255. He has achieved a quality start (six innings or more with three or fewer earned runs) on two occasions.

Against LG this year, he appeared in three games, posting a 1-2 record with an ERA of 4.61. Over a total of 13⅔ innings, he allowed 11 hits (1 home run), issued 14 walks, struck out 6 batters, and conceded 8 runs (7 earned), with a batting average against of 0.220.

His most recent appearance was on the 7th in the game against Lotte at Sajik. At that time, he recorded a win as the winning pitcher with a performance of five innings, allowing 8 hits (1 home run), issuing 1 walk, striking out 3 batters, and conceding 3 runs (3 earned). He will take the mound after four days of rest, marking his first appearance in five days.

Lim Chan-gyu is currently tied for first place in wins this season with Go Young-pyo (KT). He has a record of 15 wins and 7 losses, with an ERA of 4.44. Over a total of 166⅓ innings, he has allowed 183 hits (12 home runs), issued 41 walks, struck out 100 batters, and conceded 84 runs (82 earned). His WHIP is 1.35, and his batting average against is 0.282. He has succeeded in a quality start on 13 occasions. Against KIA this season, he appeared in one game, pitching 5⅓ innings while allowing 7 hits (1 home run), striking out 2 batters, and conceding 4 runs (4 earned), with an ERA of 6.75. He took the loss without a win.

Like Yang Hyeon-jong, Lim Chan-gyu's most recent appearance was also on the 7th. At that time, at home against Doosan, he recorded five innings, allowing 6 hits, issuing 1 walk, hitting one batter, striking out 4 batters, and conceding 5 runs (5 earned), securing a win.

Additionally, in today's game, Kim Do-young will challenge for the sole home run title. His competitor, KT's Hilliard, hit two home runs in yesterday's (the 11th) game against Daegu Samsung, recording his 44th home run of the season. With those two home runs, Hilliard has tied with Kim Do-young for first place in the home run category.

LG previously completed a two-game series against Lotte at Sajik on the 9th and 10th, then took a day off on the 11th. KIA, having played three consecutive games from the 9th to the 11th, is now heading into the final game on the 12th. Who will be the team that smiles in this ultimate third-place decider?

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original