KIA and LG chase KBO third seed as Doosan finishes fifth

KIA Tigers and LG Twins entered October 8 contesting third place in South Korea’s Korea Baseball Organization after Doosan Bears’ loss to LG on October 7 fixed Doosan in fifth. The remaining seeding race determines which club skips the wild-card round and which must host the Bears when the postseason opens on October 14.

The KBO’s official standings put KIA third with 76 wins, 62 losses and two ties through 140 games, a .551 winning percentage. LG stands fourth at 77 wins, 63 losses and one tie through 141 games, at .550. KIA has four games remaining and LG three in the 144-game regular season.

Following LG’s win over Doosan in their final Jamsil regular-season meeting, the consequence for the Bears is now clear: they cannot climb above fifth, Yonhap reports. They will visit whichever club finishes fourth. KT Wiz and Samsung Lions are already fixed in first and second respectively.

KIA and LG’s remaining games

After a day off on October 8, KIA visits NC Dinos in Changwon on October 9. The Tigers then return to Gwangju for three consecutive home games against SSG Landers on October 10, Lotte Giants on October 11 and LG on October 12.

LG visits Lotte in Busan on October 9 and 10 before finishing its regular season against KIA in Gwangju. The Twins have an 8-6 record against Lotte this season and have recently ended an eight-game losing streak, according to Yonhap.

KIA leads the season series against LG 8-7 after sweeping three games in Seoul from October 3 to 5. Their October 12 meeting completes that series, but its importance for the standings depends on the preceding results. It is not yet established as a winner-takes-third contest.

Head-to-head results could also matter if the clubs finish tied. KBO rules rank teams tied for second, third or fourth by wins in games between them, then runs scored in those meetings, then the previous year’s standings. The rules do not provide a separate deciding game for those positions.

What third place changes in the KBO playoffs

Third place advances directly to the best-of-five semi-playoff against the wild-card winner. Under KBO’s competition format, the third seed hosts Games 1 and 2 and, if required, Game 5. The wild-card winner hosts Game 3 and Game 4 if needed.

Fourth place must first get past Doosan, although the format gives it a substantial advantage. Both possible wild-card games take place at the fourth-place club’s ground. One win or one draw sends the host through; Doosan must win twice to advance.

Yonhap reports that a fifth seed has won the wild-card round only once since its introduction in 2015. KBO’s October 7 postseason announcement confirms another relevant rule: games can last up to 15 innings before ending in a draw, which would be sufficient for the fourth seed to progress.

The pitching-rest advantage of a wild-card bye

Yonhap identifies preparation time as another important difference between the two positions. Third place offers four days between the scheduled regular-season finale and the semi-playoff, giving that club more flexibility to arrange its starting rotation. Fourth place has only October 13 off before the wild-card opener.

If the fourth seed needs both wild-card games, Yonhap says it would have only one day off before the next round. That creates a tighter turnaround for pitchers used against Doosan. The scheduling advantage does not establish which pitchers either KIA or LG will select to start.

KT and Samsung await the postseason winners

KT secured the regular-season pennant on October 5 with four games to spare and advances directly to the Korean Series, according to Yonhap. Samsung’s second-place finish sends it straight to the best-of-five playoff, where it will face the semi-playoff winner.

KBO’s postseason announcement sets best-of-five semi-playoff and playoff series, followed by a best-of-seven Korean Series, with at least one travel day between series. Rain postponements can alter the timetable. For KIA and LG, the immediate task remains completing their remaining games before the third and fourth seeds can be settled.