The Korea Baseball Organization standings are crowded in the middle, as seven of the league’s 10 teams are within striking distance of third place, with the help of the Lotte Giants recent poor play.
The organizations with the five best records during the regular season advance to the postseason, and the first-place LG Twins and second-place Hanwha Eagles appear to be the favorites to take home this year’s title. The fourth-place Giants are eight games behind the Eagles.
It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO.
Giants Drop 10th Straight Game – The Giants settled for a tie on Sunday against the Samsung Lions, failing to capitalize on an opportunity to break their eight-game losing streak.
With two consecutive losses to the Twins, the Giants’ losing streak extended to 10 on Tuesday. The Twins, who won Wednesday’s matchup 5-3, took the lead in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Austin Dean.
The Giants have one more game left in their series with the Twins and will then travel to Changwon for a three-game set against the NC Dinos, hoping to put an end to their losing streak and re-shift their focus to the postseason.
Wiz Outfielder Has Blood Clots – KT Wiz rookie outfielder Ahn Myun-min was kept off the field for a few days after his club learned he had small blood clots in his calves, Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday.
Ahn was taken off the field in an ambulance on Friday after an attempt to track down a fly ball. He leads all KBO rookies with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs in 83 games played this year.
Yoo also reported that despite the blood clots, the Wiz expected Ahn to return to practice a few days after leaving Friday’s game early. The 21-year-old is one of the KBO’s top candidates for Rookie of the Year.
Heroes Infielder Eyeing Transition to MLB – Despite signing a six-year contract extension with the Kiwoom Heroes just two weeks ago, infielder Song Sung-mun will explore a Major League Baseball opportunity and ask his South Korean club to post him after the 2025 season, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO Stats on X.
Song, 29, is the captain of the Heroes and can play second and third base and shortstop. He’s hitting .305/.383/.514 this season with 21 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Song is the only KBO player this season to record at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
If Song is posted during the offseason, MLB teams will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the nine-year veteran, who made his KBO debut in 2015 with the Nexen Heroes.
KBO Standings as of Wednesday, August 20
1. LG Twins (70-43-2)
2. Hanwha Eagles (65-46-3)
3. SSG Landers (56-53-4)
4. Lotte Giants (58-55-4)
5. Kia Tigers (54-54-4)
6. KT Wiz (56-56-4)
7. NC Dinos (51-53-6)
8. Samsung Lions (55-58-2)
9. Doosan Bears (51-59-5)
10. Kiwoom Heroes (37-76-4)
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/
Photo: The playoffs in the KBO are approaching, but it looks as though the ninth-place Doosan Bears and their mascot, Cheolwoong, won’t be there. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
