The Korean Baseball Organization begins the final week of August with the teams in the top five pulling away as they look to lock in playoff spots, while those outside the top five are seeing their slim playoff hopes fade.

The regular season was originally scheduled to end Sept. 6. Previously postponed games typically have been played after the final day of the regular season, but with games postponed through the first week of August because of a heat wave in Korea, this year’s September schedule will be much more compressed than in years past. The final day for all rescheduled games is slated for Oct. 7.

The Korean Series is expected to extend into November this year.

Been Gwak continues career year

On Sunday, Doosan Bears ace Been Gwak turned in another dominant performance, this time against the Lotte Giants. In seven innings, he allowed just one hit, no runs and struck out eight.

The performance lowered his ERA to a KBO-leading 2.33, and he now has 161 strikeouts. His 2.33 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings would be historic for Korean pitchers in the KBO. In league history, no Korean starter has recorded both a sub-2.50 ERA and at least 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings in the same season.

Gwak has finally put it all together in 2026.

Austin Dean hits season’s first cycle

On Tuesday, former major leaguer and LG Twins superstar Austin Dean hit the first cycle of the season against the NC Dinos.

He recorded his first hit of the night with a double in the fourth inning. He followed with a single to right field in the sixth and then delivered a go-ahead home run in the eighth for his 33rd of the season.

After the Dinos forced extra innings and took a 4-3 lead in the 10th, Dean tripled high off the center-field wall to complete the cycle. It was the first cycle of the season and the 33rd in KBO history.

After hitting for the cycle on Tuesday, Dean followed it up with a multihomer game Wednesday. He hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first and then delivered a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh.

The home run gave him 35 for the season, putting him second behind Do-yeong Kim’s 39. Dean leads the KBO with 108 RBIs and an OPS of 1.087. He is second in WAR at 7.30 behind Kim.

Do-yeong Kim continues MVP push

The 22-year-old KIA Tigers superstar hit his 39th home run of the season against the Lotte Giants on Wednesday, setting a new career high.

His 39 home runs lead the KBO, and he is just seven home runs away from tying the all-time record for home runs in a single season by a KBO third baseman.

Kim will leave for the Asian Games in three weeks and will have until then to try to break the record. He and his Tigers teammates sit in fourth place, just behind the LG Twins, with a huge September for playoff positioning awaiting them.

KIA Tigers make history with walk-off slam

One game after allowing a walk-off grand slam to Kiwoom’s Jae-hyun Kim, the Tigers hit one of their own Tuesday night.

With the bases loaded and two outs, pinch-hitter Ho-yeon Lee stepped to the plate with the Tigers trailing 5-4. In a 2-1 count, Lee drove a pitch just over the right-field fence for a walk-off grand slam and an 8-5 win for the Tigers, doing it against the team that originally drafted him.

There might not have been a more unlikely candidate to come through for the Tigers. Before Tuesday, he had six career home runs in 617 plate appearances in the KBO, including just one since the start of 2024.

Lee’s grand slam marked the first time in KBO history that a team allowed a walk-off grand slam and then hit its own the very next game.

The win helped the Tigers keep pace with the LG Twins as they look to avoid a potential wild-card series against the fifth seed.

Chris Paddack continues to carry Samsung’s pitching staff

Although the Lions’ rotation has struggled since Ariel Jurado’s injury earlier this season, Chris Paddack has been the exception.

The former major league pitcher has shined since signing with Samsung earlier this year. He had another outstanding performance Sunday against the NC Dinos, going eight innings and allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts.

Paddack has a 2.61 ERA across 38 innings with 42 strikeouts and a 0.76 WHIP.

Despite injuries to the rotation, Paddack’s addition has helped Samsung remain on the heels of the KT Wiz for the top spot in the KBO.

KBO Standings:

KT Wiz 65-42-3

Samsung Lions 66-44-3

LG Twins 63-50-1

KIA Tigers 62-50-2

Doosan Bears 59-51-4

Lotte Giants 50-60-2

Hanwha Eagles 49-59-3

NC Dinos 48-58-2

SSG Landers 47-64-5

Kiwoom Heroes 42-73-3

KBO playoff format

The KBO uses a step-ladder playoff system. Five teams make the postseason, with the regular-season champion automatically qualifying for the Korean Series.

The fourth- and fifth-seeded teams play a wild-card series, with the fourth seed receiving an automatic 1-0 lead and needing just one win to advance.

The winner then plays the third seed in a best-of-five KBO Semi-Playoffs series. The winner of that series advances to the KBO Playoffs to face the second seed in another best-of-five series.

The winner advances to the Korean Series against the regular-season champion in a best-of-seven series.

Playoff picture if the playoffs began today

KBO Wild Card Series: KIA Tigers vs. Doosan Bears — best-of-three series, with KIA holding a 1-0 lead

KBO Semi-Playoffs: LG Twins vs. Wild Card Series winner

KBO Playoffs: Samsung Lions vs. Semi-Playoffs winner

Korean Series: KT Wiz vs. Playoffs winner