KT Wiz, which is leading the way, is one step closer to receiving a direct ticket to the Korean Series (KS).
In the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League visiting game against the KIA Tigers held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do on the 29th, kt came from behind to win 8-5 thanks to Ahn Hyun-min's final triple after a close game in the 10th inning.
As a result, KT, the leader with two consecutive wins, maintained its lead over the second-place Samsung Lions at three games and reduced the magic number for winning the regular season to '7'.
KIA took the lead until the second half of the game. KIA scored first when Kim Do-young, who returned from the Asian Games, hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. Kim Do-young, who recorded his 41st of the season, widened the gap with Austin Dean (LG) and Sam Hilliard (39, kt), who tied for second place in the category, to two. In addition, Kim Do-young broke the record for the most home runs in a single season in KIA club history, surpassing Tracy Sanders, who hit 40 home runs in 1999.
KT launched a counterattack and in the top of the second inning, Kim Hyun-soo hit a grand slam to make it 4-2. However, KIA tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with Harold Castro's two-run shot to right-center field, and then Na Seong-beom hit a solo home run on consecutive batters to take the lead at 5-4.
KIA's lead, which lasted until the end, wavered at the end. In the top of the 9th inning, with bases loaded and 2 outs, Kim Sang-soo drew a walk against KIA closer Lee Eui-ri, sending the game into overtime. In the top of the 10th inning, with no outs and no outs on second and third base, Ahn Hyun-min hit a triple with two RBIs and Sam Hilliard hit a sacrifice fly to turn the game around 8-5. On this day, Ahn Hyun-min, who recorded a hit to the body in three consecutive at-bats, led the team to victory by reaching base six times with two hits in two at-bats and four walks and walks.
In Daegu, the Samsung Lions defeated the Hanwha Eagles 10-5 with 13 hits. Samsung took the lead with Kim Seong-yoon hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. In the second inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, Lee Jae-hyun's double and Kim Ji-chan's sacrifice fly were followed by Kim Seong-yoon's double, scoring 4 runs and running away with the score 6-0. For Hanwha, Noh Si-hwan, who hit a triple in the top of the 7th inning, scored with a follow-up ground ball, and Jeong Eun-won hit a two-run home run to make up for 3 runs. However, with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, Samsung added 1 point with Choi Hyeong-woo's sacrifice fly, and then Kang Min-ho hit a 3-run home run to the left and into the outfield stands to tie the game. Samsung starter Chris Fedek struck out 9 batters and allowed 4 hits and no runs until the 6th inning.
In Jamsil, where the 5th and 6th place teams faced off, the Doosan Bears defeated the NC Dinos 5-2 and were on the verge of advancing to the fall baseball season. NC scored the first run in the top of the first inning with a triple by Cheon Jae-hwan and a timely hit by Min-woo Park, and added one run with a double by Taeyang Oh in the top of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the second inning with bases loaded and one out when Su-bin Jeong hit a hit to right, and two outs later, Jae-seok Ahn hit a timely hit to make it 3-2. In the bottom of the third inning, Yang Eui-ji's solo home run and Jo Su-haeng's double added 2 runs to make it 5-2. Doosan, which was on the cusp of victory, maintained its victory with starting pitcher Wes Benjamin going 5 innings and allowing 2 runs, followed by Takuto Takada (2 innings), Taek-yeon Kim (1st inning), and Young-ha Lee (1st inning). NC starter Lee Jae-hak allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings, falling into his 9th consecutive loss.
In Incheon, SSG Landers defeated LG Twins 7-1 thanks to Pedro Avila's complete game. With Avila dominating the mound, SSG scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to consecutive doubles by Park Seong-han and Choi Ji-hoon and LG's bad throw. In the third inning, Guillermo Heredia and Jeon Eui-san hit consecutive home runs to make it 4-0. LG chased after Park Hae-min with a solo home run in the top of the 4th inning, but SSG widened the lead to 6-1 with Park Seong-han hitting 2 RBIs after a shift in offense and defense. In the 7th inning, Go Myung-Jun's sacrifice fly added 1 point to tie the game. SSG starter Avila allowed 8 hits until the 9th inning, but struck out 6 and allowed 1 run, earning his second complete game this season. LG, ranked 3rd, suffered 3 consecutive losses.
In Busan, the 7th-place Lotte Giants defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 4-2 and escaped the crisis of being eliminated from the fall baseball season. Kiwoom's Matt Davidson hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Lotte tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Han Dong-hee hit a two-run home run. In the bottom of the 7th inning, with one out and one on first base, the lead was 3-2 due to veteran Jeon Jun-woo's superior double followed by an opponent's error. In the continued attack, Lotte took the win by adding one point with Son Seong-bin's sacrifice fly and running away with a score of 4-2. Kiwoom, the lowest ranked team, suffered its 10th straight loss against Lotte. Kiwoom starter Jeon Jun-pyo allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits in 6 innings, suffering his 6th straight loss without a win this season.
