Lotte rout LG 9-1
The Lotte Giants beat the LG Twins 9-1 at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 9th, snapping a four-game losing streak. Lotte took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd on an RBI single by Hwang Seong-bin, a sacrifice fly by Victor Reyes and an RBI hit by Na Seung-yeop, and LG answered with a solo homer from Moon Jeong-bin in the 4th. The game was decided in the bottom of the 7th: amid a string of LG defensive errors, Han Dong-hee singled in a run and Jeon Min-jae hit a three-run homer as Lotte scored five times in the inning. Lotte starter Kim Han-gyeol held on for four innings, allowing one run. LG, fighting for third place, fell one game behind KIA and can no longer clinch third on its own. If KIA wins against SSG on the 10th and Lotte on the 11th, it will keep third place regardless of the season finale against LG on the 12th.
Source: Money Today
KIA beat NC 7-2, hold 3rd
The KIA Tigers beat the NC Dinos 7-2 at Changwon NC Park on the 9th to hold on to third place. Na Sung-bum gave KIA the lead with an RBI single in the top of the 1st, but starter James Naile gave up a two-run homer to Cheon Jae-hwan in the bottom half. KIA tied it on a Kim Ho-ryeong RBI hit in the 4th and went ahead 3-2 in the 6th on a wild pitch by NC starter Koo Chang-mo. Kim Sun-bin added an RBI double to right-center in the 8th, and Harold Castro sealed it with a three-run homer in the 9th. Na, Kim Sun-bin and Kim Ho-ryeong each had two hits. With LG losing to Lotte the same day, KIA stretched its lead over LG to one game. KIA hosts SSG on the 10th and Lotte on the 11th in Gwangju.
Source: Ilgan Sports
SSG top Samsung in home finale
The SSG Landers beat the Samsung Lions 3-1 in their final regular-season home game at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 9th. Choi Ji-hoon doubled in the 1st, and Jeon Ui-san drove him in with a two-out single for the opening run. Han Yoo-seom added a solo homer to right-center in the 4th, and Choi made it 3-0 with a two-out RBI hit in the 6th. Starter Lee Ro-un went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts, his second quality start of the season. After throwing 6.2 scoreless innings against Doosan on September 9, he once again showed his potential as a starter. Samsung, already assured of a direct playoff berth, avoided a shutout on Lee Jae-hyeon’s RBI single in the 7th.
Source: Sports Kyunghyang
Reyes ties single-season hits record
Lotte Giants slugger Victor Reyes recorded his 204th hit of the season against LG at Sajik on the 9th, tying KT Wiz’s Choi Won-jun for the KBO single-season hits record. Reyes was intentionally walked in the 7th, but with Lotte up 8-1 in the bottom of the 8th, he lined a slider from LG reliever Yang Woo-jin into center field for an RBI single with runners on the corners and one out. Choi had reached 204 hits with a three-hit game against Samsung in Suwon on the 7th, breaking the previous record of 202 set by Reyes in 2024. Reyes added two hits that same day and has now drawn level again. Reyes has three games left and Choi two, so the race for the hits record looks set to go down to the wire.
Source: Newsis
KIA weigh using Oller in finale
OSEN reported on the 9th that the KIA Tigers are debating when to start ace Adam Oller as they try to hold on to third place. Third or fourth will be decided over a four-game stretch: at NC in Changwon on the 9th, then home games against SSG, Lotte and LG in Gwangju from the 10th to the 12th. Falling to fourth would mean a wild-card series against fifth-place Doosan, with the burden of facing Kwak Been and 14-game winner Choi Min-seok. Saving Oller for the LG finale on the 12th would mean James Naile starting against NC on the 9th, followed by Shirakawa and Kim Tae-hyung against SSG and Lotte. Oller allowed four runs over six innings against LG at Jamsil on the 5th, and KIA swept that series to move into third.
Source: OSEN
SSG lock in 6th, home opener in 2027
With their win over Samsung on the 9th, the SSG Landers clinched sixth place in the regular season and will open the 2027 season at home in Incheon. The 2027 season will be SSG’s last at SSG Landers Field before moving to the Cheongna dome, which makes the home opener even more meaningful. Manager Lee Soong-yong apologized that the season fell short of fans’ expectations and thanked them for their support, saying, “Next year, our last season at Landers Field, we will come back as a stronger team and make sure we play postseason baseball in Incheon.” Of Lee Ro-un, a former reliever who earned his eighth win as a starter, he said the game “made it clear to everyone that he is better suited as a starter than a reliever,” rating highly his chances of joining next year’s rotation.
Source: Money Today