During September, Korea Baseball Organization teams will no longer play two three-game series a week. Instead, the league’s 10 clubs will compete in games originally canceled due to weather earlier this season.
These makeup games will be the deciding factor in who will earn the right to be in the running for this year’s Korean Series, the championship round of the KBO. Last season’s champions, the Kia Tigers, are four games behind the KT Wiz for the fifth and final postseason spot.
It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO.
Ponce Surpasses Miranda – On Wednesday, Hanwha Eagles starting pitcher Cody Ponce broke Ariel Miranda’s single-season record for strikeouts with his 226th of the year. Miranda previously set the record of 225 punchouts in 2021 with the Doosan Bears.
Ponce struck out Cheon Jae-hwan of the NC Dinos in the top of the fifth inning in the 6-5 victory to accomplish the feat. He completed six innings in Wednesday’s game, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts. The Eagles won on a walk-off single by Hwang Young-mook in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Before his outing, Ponce led KBO pitchers with 16 wins, a 1.66 ERA, and 220 strikeouts. The last hurler to win the pitching Triple Crown in the KBO was Erick Fedde in 2023 with the NC Dinos.
Scouts Eyeing KBO Talent – According to a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, dozens of Major League Baseball scouts are in South Korea to get a glimpse of the talent in the KBO.
In a matchup between the Eagles and Kiwoom Heroes on August 28, scouts from 11 MLB teams were in attendance, including the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to the report from the South Korean news website. They were there, perhaps to watch Heroes third baseman Song Sung-min, who recently expressed a desire to take his talents to the United States following the season.
“More scouts have gathered this year than at any time in recent memory, even compared to when Lee Jung-hoo pursued his MLB contract,” an anonymous scout told Korea JoongAng Daily, translated from Korean to English. “Half of most clubs’ Asia scouting teams are currently in Korea, with the rest in Japan. By September, teams will finalize their assessments.”
Bat Flip of the Year? – Major League Baseball fans see a ton of impressive bat flips during the season, but none may top what Dinos’ shortstop Kim Ju-won did on Tuesday against the Wiz.
With the Dinos leading 5-4 in the sixth inning, Kim took a hanging breaking ball from relief pitcher Kim Min-soo and sent it into the right field seats, flinging his bat in the air before the towering solo shot reached the warning track. The homer was Kim’s 13th of the season, an extension of his career high.
김주원 솔로포 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
빠던 맛집 시발 pic.twitter.com/ZvGt8zuSZM— 맹이.. (@NCmaeng) September 2, 2025
The 23-year-old ranks second in the KBO this season with 38 stolen bases, six behind centerfielder Park Hae-min of the LG Twins.
KBO Standings as of Wednesday, September 3
1. LG Twins (77-46-3)
2. Hanwha Eagles (72-51-3)
3. SSG Landers (63-58-4)
4. Samsung Lions (63-61-2)
5. KT Wiz (63-61-4)
6. Lotte Giants (62-61-6)
7. NC Dinos (57-59-6)
8. Kia Tigers (57-63-4)
9. Doosan Bears (54-65-6)
10. Kiwoom Heroes (41-84-4)
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: 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)
