Grand slam lifts Lotte past KIA 4-1
The Lotte Giants beat the KIA Tigers 4-1 on the 11th at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. The game turned in the top of the sixth: with two outs and the bases loaded, cleanup hitter Han Dong-hee drove a four-seam fastball from KIA starter Adam Oller over the center-field wall for a go-ahead grand slam, his 24th homer of the season. With it, Han homered against every opponent in a single season for the first time since his 2018 debut. On the mound, starter Kim Jin-uk threw six scoreless innings on three hits for his seventh win. KIA, needing one win to clinch third place, now faces LG in the season finale on the 12th with a direct berth in the semi-playoffs at stake. Lotte sits eighth, just .001 behind seventh-place NC with one game left.
Source: Sports Donga
KT rout Samsung 12-3 for 9th straight win
The KT Wiz beat the Samsung Lions 12-3 on the 11th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, extending their winning streak to nine games, tying the club record. Samsung led first on Lee Jae-hyun’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, but KT tied it in the second on Sam Hilliard’s solo homer and went ahead on Han Seung-taek’s squeeze bunt. Hilliard followed with a three-run homer in his next at-bat in the third, and KT put up six runs in the fifth, starting with Kim Hyun-soo’s solo shot, to lead 12-1. Hilliard’s 44th homer pulled him into a tie with KIA’s Kim Do-yeong for the league lead, and his five RBIs raised his season total to 139. Starter Ko Young-pyo allowed one unearned run over five innings for his 15th win. Samsung starter Ariel Jurado was pulled after giving up six runs in four innings.
Source: Ilgan Sports
Kim Jin-uk tops qualifying innings for 1st time
Lotte Giants left-hander Kim Jin-uk threw six scoreless innings against KIA in Gwangju on the 11th, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six, to earn his seventh win (9 losses) and pass the qualifying-innings mark (144) for the first time in his career. The No. 1 pick in the second round of the 2021 draft, Kim had a career ERA of 6.40 through last season, with 173 walks in 240 1/3 innings. This year he found his control, issuing just 51 walks in 144 1/3 innings and finishing 7-9 with a 4.12 ERA in 26 games. His preseason goal had been 100 innings. “This season I pitched without worrying about walks,” Kim said, adding that he followed his seniors’ advice that looking too far ahead makes things harder, and focused on one game at a time.
Source: Sports Donga
Choi Won-jun apologizes to ball boy
KT Wiz outfielder Choi Won-jun issued a public apology after an outburst during the game against Samsung in Daegu on the 11th. Locked in a race for the hits title, Choi took off his gear roughly after failing to get a hit in his second at-bat, and it appeared to be thrown toward the ball boy who came out to collect it, drawing criticism. After the game, he reportedly went to the ball boys’ room to admit his mistake and gave the ball boy a pair of batting gloves. That night he also apologized to fans through his wife’s social media, calling it behavior that “cannot be justified for any reason.” Choi singled to right in the ninth for his 205th hit of the season, two behind Lotte’s Victor Reyes (207), who added two hits that day. The hits title will be decided in the regular-season finale on the 12th.
Source: Ilgan Sports
KIA vs LG: winner-take-third finale
On the 12th, the final day of the 2026 KBO regular season, the KIA Tigers and LG Twins meet in Gwangju with third place on the line. KIA failed to clinch after losing 4-1 to Lotte on the 11th, while LG, who had the day off, closed the gap to half a game. The winner goes straight to the semi-playoffs; the loser finishes fourth and faces fifth-place Doosan in the wild-card round. The losing side gets only one day off on the 13th before Game 1 of the wild card on the 14th, putting extra strain on its rotation. KIA will start Yang Hyeon-jong and LG will start Lim Chan-kyu. Doosan has lined up Kwak Bin, the only pitcher in the league with an ERA in the 2s (2.24), for wild-card Game 1.
Source: Ilgan Sports
Hanwha narrows search for new manager
After parting ways with manager Kim Kyung-moon and general manager Son Hyuk, the Hanwha Eagles have begun searching for a new skipper. Ilgan Sports reported on the 11th that national team manager Ryu Ji-hyun is said to be the leading candidate. The club said “nothing has been decided yet,” but has reportedly drawn up a shortlist that includes Ryu. Ryu managed the LG Twins for two seasons from 2021, and as national team manager he led Korea to its first World Baseball Classic quarterfinal in 17 years in March and to gold at the 2026 Asian Games. Hanwha were runners-up last year, but despite aggressive spending, including signing free agent Kang Baek-ho to a four-year, 10 billion won deal, they finished ninth this season. Because the final decision rests with the parent group, appointing a manager and GM is expected to take more time.
Source: Ilgan Sports