KBO Roundup: LG Twins Making Late Season Surge, Sam Hilliard Chasing Foreign Hitter History

The Korean Baseball Organization held its rookie draft Monday. The Kiwoom Heroes held the top pick and selected Busan High School two-way player Hyun-seung Ha.

Though he did not hit in the tournament, Ha pitched for South Korea at the U18 Asian Championship in Taiwan and threw 15 2/3 scoreless innings with 25 strikeouts, including a one-hit shutout against Japan in the gold medal game. He was named the tournament’s MVP. Ha turned down MLB offers to enter the KBO draft.

A notable name selected was Ji-man Choi. Under KBO rules, a player who signs after high school and has not previously played in the KBO must enter the KBO draft to make his debut in the league. Choi was selected in the second round by the KT Wiz.

The Wiz opted for a player who could be an immediate middle-of-the-order hitter next season rather than one whose impact may not be felt until further down the road.

The 35-year-old Choi played in 525 games with the Angels, Yankees, Brewers, Rays, Pirates and Padres. He originally signed with the Mariners. Choi posted a .764 OPS with 67 home runs and 238 RBIs while mostly playing first base during his MLB career.

In 2020, he became the first Korean-born player to play in the World Series. During Tampa Bay’s run, he posted a .837 OPS with two home runs. He will make his KBO debut in 2027.

KT Wiz tighten grip on first place

After the Wiz and Samsung Lions went back and forth for first place in the KBO, the Wiz have taken a three-game lead and lead by five games in the loss column. With the Lions having only 12 games remaining, their hopes of finishing atop the league and earning an automatic berth in the Korean Series are beginning to slip away.

On Tuesday, the Wiz faced the SSG Landers. Although the Landers are well out of the playoff race, their ace, Pedro Ávila, has been arguably the best overall pitcher since signing midseason. He entered the night with a minuscule 1.39 ERA in 71 innings.

After throwing six innings of one-run ball, Ávila and the Landers held a 2-1 lead over the Wiz entering the seventh. With one out in the top of the seventh, the Wiz got a clutch game-tying single from Dong-jin Kwon. Two batters later, Min-hyuck Kim delivered a go-ahead RBI single to make it 3-2, Wiz.

Since Aug. 12, Ávila has allowed three runs in a game just twice, and both outings came against the KT Wiz.

The Wiz held a 3-2 lead entering the ninth before the offense exploded. After scoring on an error to make it 4-2, Sam Hilliard delivered the dagger with a grand slam to center field to put the game away for the Wiz.

The home run gave Hilliard 38 home runs and 120 RBIs on the season. He is now up to 121 runs batted in. Those totals rank third and second, respectively, in the KBO. He needs two more home runs to become the first foreign hitter to hit 40 home runs and drive in at least 120 runs in his debut KBO season. He has firmly put himself into the MVP conversation.

Doosan Bears close gap on KIA Tigers

The Doosan Bears and KIA Tigers met Wednesday in Seoul in a potential playoff preview. The Tigers currently sit in fourth place, with the Bears in fifth. Should they remain in those spots, the Tigers would host a best-of-three series with an automatic 1-0 series lead.

Leading 1-0 in the third, Tigers second baseman Sun-bin Kim delivered an RBI double to make it 2-0 KIA. Doosan cut into the lead in the bottom of the inning with a groundout.

The score remained 2-1 in the fifth until Bears third baseman Jae-seok An’s RBI single tied the game at 2.

In the seventh, in one of the most pivotal moments of the game, the Tigers loaded the bases. Former NPB minor league pitcher Takuto Takada entered with two outs and struck out Jung-woo Park to keep the game tied at 2.

In a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Seung-ho Kang walked with one out and stole second with two outs. That set the stage for An.

The Bears third baseman grounded a ball through the infield into right field, and Kang beat the throw home to give Doosan a 3-2 walk-off win.

The win moved Doosan to within four games of KIA for the No. 4 spot in the league. Doosan’s 5-3-1 record over its last nine games has strengthened its hold on the fifth and final playoff spot.

In that same span, the NC Dinos, the team chasing the Bears for the final playoff spot, have gone into a tailspin, losing eight of their last nine games to fall 6 1/2 games behind. With just 14 games left in their season, the Dinos’ playoff hopes are fading fast.

Just two teams have clinched postseason berths: the KT Wiz and Samsung Lions. The LG Twins need just one NC Dinos loss or tie to clinch their place in the KBO postseason.

The Twins have recently caught fire, putting themselves on the brink of clinching a postseason spot and a chance to defend their 2025 Korean Series championship.

LG Twins close in on postseason berth

With a six-game winning streak, the Twins hosted the Hanwha Eagles on Sunday in Seoul.

After a scoreless game through three innings, Jae-won Lee delivered a 460-foot blast to give the Twins a 2-0 lead in the fourth. In the next half-inning, the Eagles loaded the bases and got an RBI single from In-ho Choi, a sacrifice fly from Jung-hyun Park and an RBI single from Ji-youn Han to take a 3-2 lead.

In a critical game for the Twins, they struck back in the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff double from Hae-min Park, Austin Dean came through with an RBI single to tie the game at 3. Jeong-bin Moon drove him in two batters later with an RBI single of his own to give the Twins a 4-3 lead.

The Twins bullpen threw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit, to seal the 4-3 win.

The victory extended their winning streak to seven games, and they sit just 2 1/2 games behind Samsung for second place. Finishing second would mean the Twins would only have to win one playoff series to reach the Korean Series.

KBO stars shine at Asian Games

Korea entered the Asian Games with a star-studded roster, with KBO MVP co-favorite Do-yeong Kim leading the offense and Been Gwak, the favorite for the Dong-won Choi Award, which goes to the KBO’s top pitcher, leading the pitching staff.

In his debut against Chinese Taipei in Korea’s opener, Gwak threw six no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts in Korea’s 5-0 win.

Korea has outscored its opponents 36-1 through its first three games, including its first perfect game at the Asian Games against Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Korea will now take on Japan in the super round Friday. They are seeking their fifth consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games.

KBO standings

1. KT Wiz — 79-48-4

2. Samsung Lions — 77-52-3

3. LG Twins — 75-55-1

4. KIA Tigers — 71-58-2

5. Doosan Bears — 67-62-5

6. NC Dinos — 60-68-2

7. SSG Landers — 58-70-5

8. Lotte Giants — 58-71-2

9. Hanwha Eagles — 54-74-4

10. Kiwoom Heroes — 45-86-4