These are the final days of the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization regular season, with the Samsung Lions waiting to find out who they will play in this year’s Wild Card round.
Will it be the NC Dinos, who needed a win on Wednesday against the LG Twins to maintain their position at fifth place in the standings?
It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO.
Twins Receive Automatic Berth to Korean Series – On Wednesday, the Twins clinched the best regular season record in the KBO with the Hanwha Eagles’ 6-5 loss to the SSG Landers. The first-place club finished the regular season with an 85-56-3 record.
The Eagles led 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, but the Landers hit two home runs to walk off the field winners. Hanwha’s loss gave the Twins a three-week break, with their next game scheduled for the Korean Series on Oct. 24.
The Twins last won a championship in 2023, defeating the KT Wiz in five games. According to Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency, past first-place finishers have gone on to win the Korean Series approximately 85 percent of the time.
Dinos Win Eighth Straight Game – The Dinos have their sights set on the fifth and final playoff spot, winning their eighth consecutive game with a 7-3 victory against the Twins on Wednesday.
A ninth straight win will guarantee them a position in the playoffs, as they face off against the Landers in their last regular-season game on Friday. If the Dinos come away victorious, they will take on the Samsung Lions in the Wild Card round, starting Sunday, Oct. 5.
American right-hander Riley Thompson will take the mound for the Dinos on Friday. The 29-year-old has thrown a career-high 166.2 innings with 209 strikeouts and a 3.51 ERA in his first season in South Korea.
Diaz Smacks 50th Homer – Lions first baseman Lewin Diaz became the first foreign player in KBO history to hit 50 home runs in a season with a three-run bomb in the bottom of the first inning against the Kia Tigers on Tuesday.
The single-season record for home runs is 56 by former Lions slugger Lee Seung-yuop, who accomplished the feat in 2003. Diaz needs to hit six dingers in Samsung’s final regular-season game of the year to tie Lee, a nearly impossible feat.
However, the left-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic has already set the league record for most RBIs in a season with 156, surpassing his teammate Park Byung-ho’s previous mark of 146 in 2015.
KBO Standings as of Wednesday, Oct. 1
1. LG Twins (85-56-3)
2. Hanwha Eagles (83-57-3)
3. SSG Landers (75-63-4)
4. Samsung Lions (74-67-2)
5. NC Dinos (70-67-6)
6. KT Wiz (71-68-4)
7. Lotte Giants (66-72-6)
8. Kia Tigers (63-75-4)
9. Doosan Bears (61-77-6)
10. Kiwoom Heroes (47-93-4)
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 LG Twins have advanced to the Korea Series. (Photo courtesy of the WBSC)
