Image to help understand the article
LG strikes first in Seoul rivalry game
The LG Twins took a 2-0 lead over the Doosan Bears in the opening game of the Korea Baseball Organization’s 2026 wild-card round Tuesday at Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
All 23,650 seats were sold for the postseason meeting between the two clubs that share Jamsil, extending the KBO playoffs’ sellout streak to 38 games. The matchup carried added significance because the aging stadium is in its final year before demolition. MBC broadcast the game.
LG entered the postseason as the fourth-place team after finishing 78-65-1, while fifth-place Doosan went 73-66-5. The Twins reached the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, and the Bears returned after a two-year absence. LG dominated the season series, winning 11 of 16 meetings with one tie.
Austin Dean homers, Kwak Bin escapes jam
Doosan starter Kwak Bin hit leadoff batter Hong Chang-ki in the first inning before Austin Dean drove a 128.3-kilometer-per-hour curveball — about 79.7 mph — over the left-field wall for a two-run homer. The blast traveled 120 meters, or roughly 394 feet.
The home run gave Kwak unwanted KBO wild-card career records for home runs allowed, runs surrendered and earned runs allowed. He had entered the game with a 1.96 ERA in three regular-season appearances against LG.
Kwak rebounded dramatically in the second inning. A double, a walk, a bunt and a throwing error left LG with the bases loaded and nobody out. After catcher Yoon Joon-ho visited the mound, Kwak struck out Hong and Park Hae-min on swinging strikes. He then challenged Dean with six straight fastballs in the mid-to-upper 150-kilometer-per-hour range, reaching roughly the upper 90s in mph, and struck him out to escape without allowing another run.
Carlos Carrasco holds Doosan scoreless
LG starter Carlos Carrasco kept Doosan off the scoreboard through five innings. The Bears managed only two hits through the first three frames, and Carrasco completed his fifth scoreless inning by striking out Jung Soo-bin.
LG catcher Park Dong-won guided Carrasco through the outing after batting second baseman Koo Bon-hyeok and others helped create early scoring opportunities. Left-hander Son Ju-young was not included on LG’s roster for the series.
The score remained 2-0 after the top of the fourth inning, and the game had entered the top of the sixth at the time of the latest update.
Wild-card format favors fourth-place LG
The KBO wild-card round can last no more than two games, with the fourth-place team effectively beginning with a one-win advantage. That means LG can advance to the best-of-five semifinal round with either a win or a tie. Doosan must win both scheduled games to move on.
The wild-card winner is scheduled to face the third-place KIA Tigers beginning Oct. 17.
Comments
Post a Comment