The Korea Baseball Organization has seen two of the top teams dominate the standings, and for now, the other eight franchises have their sights set on at least a top-five finish to qualify for the postseason.
Is it too early to rule out the last-place Kiwoom Heroes or the ninth-place Doosan Bears? Technically, no. After Tuesday’s games, the Bears were just two games behind the fourth-place Samsung Lions. Remember, the last day of the KBO regular season is not until August 31.
Lotte Giants Waive Former Clemson University Standout – After putting left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes on the injured list with a shoulder injury, the Giants placed him on waivers.
Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency reports the Giants said last Thursday that Barnes’ injury would keep him off the mound for the following eight weeks. The 29-year-old, who played three seasons with the Clemson Tigers from 2015-17, joined the Giants in 2022.
Barnes was the Giants’ 2025 Opening Day starting pitcher, but turned in an underwhelming performance this season, with a 5.32 ERA and four home runs allowed in eight starts. He made nine appearances for Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins in 2021.
Dinos Manager Lee Ho-joon Speaks on Former Teammate Choi Jeong – On Tuesday, SSG Landers third baseman Choi Jeong became the first player in KBO history to hit 500 career home runs. He accomplished the feat with a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth inning in a 6-3 win against the NC Dinos.
Before the game, Lee Ho-joon, the manager of the Dinos, told reporters, including Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency, that his club would not shy away from pitching to Choi.
“We will go after him[Choi]. There’s really nothing to it,” Lee told Yoo before the series opener against the Landers. “We’ll stick to the same game plan. But I only hope he will hit his home run when we have a big lead.”
