How the numbers are computed

KBO ranks teams by winning percentage, defined as wins ÷ (wins + losses). Ties are left out of the denominator, so a team with many ties looks as if it has played fewer games, and its games remaining differ from its decisions remaining.

We count games remaining as 144 − W − L − T, and when computing clinch numbers we assume every remaining game ends in a decision — the conservative assumption.

This is the everyday 'magic number'. Definition: the smallest w such that, after w more wins, fewer than five teams could still finish above us even if every rival won all its remaining games.

It is computed by comparing each rival's maximum possible percentage (all remaining games won) with our guaranteed percentage (w wins, everything else lost). Because it compares their ceiling with our floor, reaching this number means no other result matters.

The magic number shown in the standings follows the conventional media definition: our wins plus the first non-playoff team's losses; when the sum reaches it, we clinch. It counts opponents losing, so it comes out smaller.

Clinch wins counts nothing but our own wins: how many we need even if every other team wins out. So for the same team, clinch wins is always greater than or equal to the magic number.

Both are correct and serve different purposes. For 'how much is left today' use the magic number; for 'finish it without relying on anyone' use clinch wins. This site's scenario tables and articles use clinch wins.

The mirror image of clinch wins: the smallest l such that after l more losses, at least five teams are certain to finish above us. Here we compare our ceiling (winning everything else) with each rival's floor.

Reaching it means a top-five finish is impossible even if we win every remaining game — the same concept the press calls a 'tragic number'.

If two teams finish the regular season with the same percentage, the better head-to-head record ranks higher; if that is also level, last season's finish decides.

There are two exceptions. A tie for 1st or for 5th is settled by a one-game tiebreaker, hosted by the team with the better head-to-head record. Our postseason page shows head-to-head records whenever either line is at risk of a tie.

Note: clinch and elimination numbers use winning percentage only. They do not account for a tie being broken by head-to-head, so at an exact tie they can be one game more conservative than reality.

Postseason →

Expected percentage = RS^1.83 ÷ (RS^1.83 + RA^1.83), using baseball's standard exponent of 1.83. We report actual minus expected as 'luck'.

A large positive gap means the team has won an unusual share of close games (usually one-run games and bullpen); a negative gap means fewer wins than the run differential implies. It is an indicator of likely regression, not a verdict on quality.

• Results and schedule: collected month by month from the public Naver Sports schedule feed and aggregated by us. We do not republish anyone's standings table.
• Only games between the ten clubs on or after opening day, 2026-03-28, are counted. Preseason games arrive in the same feed in the same format, and without this filter the standings inflate.
• Cancelled and rained-out games are excluded from the record but still counted as games remaining.
• Refresh: at most every 10 minutes. The 'as of' date at the top of each page is the true aggregation date.
• If the feed fails or the sample is abnormally small, we fall back to the last snapshot and still show its date.

We handle only what standings arithmetic needs. Injuries, rotations and the difficulty of the remaining schedule do not enter clinch numbers; every remaining opponent is treated the same. That is why these numbers are guarantees, not predictions. For a forecast, read them together with expected percentage, last-ten form and head-to-head — all on the KBO standings page.

Final standings — where each club starts the postseason →