If there was ever a time for the teams at the bottom half of the Korea Baseball Organization’s (KBO) standings to make a late-season playoff push, it’s now.
The last day of the regular season is August 31, a few weeks earlier than the season’s end for Major League Baseball. The LG Twins and Hanwha Eagles appear ready to battle for first place, and more than a handful of teams are in the mix for the fifth and final postseason berth.
It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO.
Last Season’s KBO MVP Sidelined – On Friday, the Kia Tigers announced that third baseman Kim Do-yeong will miss the remainder of the 2025 season with a left hamstring injury.
Kim, the KBO’s 2024 Most Valuable Player, suffered his third hamstring strain of the year on Thursday against the Lotte Giants. He walked off the field under his own power after he misplayed a ground ball hit to him at third base. Kim had played just three games since returning from a right hamstring issue, a lingering issue that kept him off the field since May 28.
In 30 games this season, Kim hit .309/.361/.582 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. He set a league record with 143 runs scored last year.
Eagles’ Cody Ponce Makes History – Starting pitcher Cody Ponce of the Eagles recorded his 200th strikeout of the season on Tuesday against the Giants, becoming the fastest pitcher to 200 career punchouts in KBO history.
Ponce, 31, needed just 23 starts to accomplish the milestone, and he’s a perfect 15-0 on the season. The right-hander is the first Eagles pitcher to record 200 strikeouts in a season since Ryu Hyun-jin struck out 210 batters in 2012.
Ponce struck out nine in Tuesday’s 2-0 win against the Giants, including three of the four batters he faced in the sixth inning. He allowed just three hits in seven scoreless frames.
KBO Saves Leader to Retire After 2025 – Last Wednesday, the KBO’s all-time saves leader, Oh Seung-hwan, announced he will retire after the 2025 season.
Oh has spent his entire 15-year KBO career with the Samsung Lions, accumulating 427 saves in 737 games. The 43-year-old will have his No. 21 jersey retired by the Lions, per a report from Yonhap News Agency’s Yoo Jee-ho.
Oh made his KBO debut in 2005 with the Lions and played nine seasons with the South Korean franchise before two seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hanshin Tigers and four MLB seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Colorado Rockies. He recorded 42 MLB saves and has 549 career saves across all leagues and levels.
Where to Watch: Fans can stream the 2025 KBO season on the SOOP service. The KBO’s official YouTube page also posts game highlights and clips of other events, such as the All-Star Game and Golden Glove awards.
WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/korea-baseball-organization/
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PHOTO: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Cody Ponce (44) in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 29, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
