The Korean Baseball Organization season has seen the first week of September come to a close, with all previously postponed games now left on the schedule to be played over the course of the next month. With the bottom four teams all but eliminated from postseason play, six teams will battle it out for five spots.
Do-yeong Kim wins August MVP
On Monday, the KIA Tigers’ 22-year-old superstar was named the August MVP in the KBO. He edged out Doosan ace Been Gwak for the honor. Do-yeong Kim hit six home runs in August and led the KBO in slugging percentage at .714. He set a new career high with his 39th home run on Aug. 26. Kim leads the KBO with 39 home runs and is second in OPS at 1.045.
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Samsung reclaims first place
After a back-and-forth race for much of August, the Samsung Lions leapfrogged the KT Wiz to move back into first place over the weekend. In a pivotal series against the LG Twins, the Lions dropped Game 1 before bouncing back with a 4-3 win in 11 innings.
In the rubber match Sunday, the Lions saw the return of Ariel Jurado. The ace of the staff coming into 2026, Jurado was injured earlier this year and returned Sunday. In his first game in the KBO since July 7, Jurado allowed four first-inning runs as the LG Twins took a 4-0 lead.
After allowing a two-run double with two outs in the first, Jurado held the Twins scoreless over the next five innings before departing after 5 2/3 innings. The Lions finally struck back in the fourth. Lewis Díaz’s two-run single brought the Lions within two runs.
In the fifth, KBO batting average leader Ja-wook Koo delivered a two-run single to tie the game. Two batters later, Lewis Díaz delivered his second hit, an RBI double, to give the Lions a 5-4 lead.
With two outs in the sixth, Seung-kyu Park delivered a two-run single off Twins reliever Jon Kennedy to extend the lead to 7-4. The Lions would not look back. After adding two runs in the seventh on a walk and a hit-by-pitch, Young-woong Kim put the finishing touches on the 10-4 win with a home run with one out in the ninth.
The Lions scored 10 unanswered runs.
The win secured the series and lifted the Lions into first place by 1 1/2 games over the KT Wiz.
The KIA Tigers and KT Wiz met over the weekend in another big matchup. The Tigers entered the weekend 2 1/2 games behind the LG Twins for third place, while the Wiz held a half-game lead over the Samsung Lions. After taking the first two games, the Tigers entered Sunday with a chance to sweep the Wiz.
In the first, the Tigers jumped on the Wiz right away with an RBI single from Harold Castro. After the Wiz tied the game in the second, the Tigers retook the lead with a two-run third inning, including an RBI double from Castro.
The game remained 3-1 until the sixth. After the Wiz made it 3-2 on a Hyun-in Ryu single in the top of the sixth, James Naile got a clutch inning-ending double play to keep the Tigers ahead 3-2. It proved to be a game-changing moment.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers got another double from Castro, this time a two-run double to make it a 5-2 game. It proved to be the decisive hit of the game.
The Wiz got one run closer on a Hyun-soo Kim infield RBI single in the eighth, but that was as close as they would get. In the bottom of the inning, Castro once again delivered for the Tigers. His third double of the night and fourth overall made it a 7-3 game and gave him six RBIs on the night.
It was the second time this season Castro has driven in six runs in a game. Sung-bum Na followed with an RBI double of his own to make it 8-3. That would be the final score as the KIA Tigers came away with a huge series sweep and moved within a half-game of the LG Twins for third place.
The sweep put the Wiz 1 1/2 games behind Samsung for the coveted top spot.
Do-yeong Kim continues to make history
Tuesday night, the KIA Tigers’ 22-year-old superstar third baseman hit his 40th home run of the season. Leading off the top of the sixth with the Tigers down 4-1, Kim drove the first pitch he saw over the left-field fence against Samsung reliever Satoshi Miyamori.
He became the first Korean hitter to hit 40 home runs in a season in eight years in the KBO. His 40 home runs tie the single-season record for a KIA Tigers player.
Kim also became the second-youngest hitter in KBO history to hit 40 home runs in a season. Only KBO legend Seung-yuop Lee was younger when he hit 54 home runs in 1999.
Ávila delivers one of the best outings of the season
The former MLB and NPB pitcher put together a performance that was pure domination.
Ávila did not allow a baserunner until the sixth and retired 22 of the first 23 hitters he faced against the Doosan Bears on Friday, Sept. 4. In the only inning of real danger, the Bears loaded the bases with one out, but Ávila got a forceout and flyout to keep the shutout intact.
After allowing a two-out single in the ninth, Ávila got a flyout on a 95 mph fastball on his 101st pitch of the night to secure the 4-0 shutout victory for the SSG Landers.
It was the first complete-game shutout by a pitcher for the Landers franchise since Scott Diamond’s three-hit shutout on Sept. 15, 2017, also against the Doosan Bears. The Landers were then known as the SK Wyverns.
Since Ávila’s debut on July 16, he has been the KBO’s best pitcher. He has a 1.40 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 58 innings and has gone at least seven innings in each of his last five starts. He has allowed just three earned runs in his last 36 innings.
He currently has a scoreless-innings streak of 21 2/3 innings. The Venezuelan right-hander will be among the most coveted free agents in Asian baseball this offseason.
KBO announces official draft date
Tuesday, the KBO announced that the draft would take place Sept. 21 in Seoul. The Kiwoom Heroes will have the top pick.
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Busan High School two-way player Hyun-seung Ha is the top-ranked high school prospect entering the KBO Draft after turning down offers from MLB teams and is expected to be selected No. 1 overall by the Kiwoom Heroes.
He is playing for Korea at the U18 Asian Championship in Taiwan and showcased his talent against Chinese Taipei this week. Armed with a 95 mph fastball from the left side, the 18-year-old struck out 12 in 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two hits and no runs.
KBO standings
Samsung Lions — 73-46-3
KT Wiz — 70-46-3
LG Twins — 68-54-1
KIA Tigers — 66-53-2
Doosan Bears — 62-58-4
NC Dinos — 55-60-2
Hanwha Eagles — 53-65-3
Lotte Giants — 52-66-2
SSG Landers — 52-68-5
Kiwoom Heroes — 45-80-3