KBO 2026
KBO Analysis
KBO analysis computed from live standings data — magic numbers, expected win percentage and close-game records.
Wed, Oct 14
KBO Wild Card 2026: LG beat Doosan 4-1 to reach the Semi-Playoff on Austin Dean's first-inning two-run homer; KIA host LG in Game 1 in Gwangju on October 17
Fourth-place LG beat fifth-place Doosan 4-1 in Game 1 of the Wild Card round at Jamsil on Wednesday, October 14. LG started with a one-win head start, so the win sends it to the Semi-Playoff, and Game 2 on Thursday, October 15 will not be played. Austin Dean's two-run homer in the first inning was the game-winning hit, and starter Carlos Carrasco won it with one run allowed in six innings. Doosan's season is over. The best-of-five Semi-Playoff is third-place KIA against LG, starting with Game 1 in Gwangju at 14:00 on Saturday, October 17.
Tue, Oct 13
KBO 2026 final stat leaders: Ja Wook Koo leads batting at .371, the home run race is settled by one over Sam Hilliard, Doosan's ERA leader also leads in strikeouts, and Chan Kyu Im and Young Pyo Ko share the wins lead at 15
All 144 games of the regular season were complete on Monday, October 12, settling the leaders in ten individual categories. Samsung's Ja Wook Koo leads in batting average (.371), KIA's 김도영 in home runs (45), KT's Sam Hilliard in RBI (139), Lotte's Victor Reyes in hits (211), KT's 최원준 in runs (125) and Lotte's 황성빈 in stolen bases (55). On the mound, Doosan's 곽빈 leads in both ERA (2.24) and strikeouts (197), and LG's Chan Kyu Im and KT's Young Pyo Ko share the wins lead with 15. Samsung's 김재윤 leads in saves (35). These are statistical leaders counted from game records, not voted awards and not an official KBO awards announcement.
Mon, Oct 12
KBO final standings 2026: KIA beat LG 4-2 to finish third, LG fourth; the Wild Card round is LG vs Doosan at Jamsil on October 14, and 90-win KT goes straight to the Korean Series
The last three regular-season games were played on Monday, October 12. KIA beat LG 4-2 to finish third at 79-63-2 (.556), with LG fourth at 78-65-1 (.545). Lotte beat Doosan 7-4 to finish seventh, and NC is eighth. No two clubs finished level, so there is no one-game tiebreaker. First-place KT (90-49-5) goes straight to the Korean Series, which starts on November 2, and second-place Samsung to the Playoff, which starts on October 25. The postseason opens on Wednesday, October 14 at Jamsil with the Wild Card round between fourth-place LG and fifth-place Doosan, and LG starts with a one-win head start.
Sun, Oct 11
KBO standings race 2026: third place comes down to LG at KIA on October 12 after Lotte beat KIA 4-1; LG has to win, a draw is enough for KIA, and Lotte-Doosan settles seventh
Through games of Sunday, October 11. The regular season ends with three games on Monday, October 12. KIA (78-63-2) and LG (78-64-1) each have one game left, against each other at KIA's park. If LG wins, LG is third; if KIA wins or the game is drawn, KIA is. Had KIA beaten or drawn with Lotte on Sunday it would have clinched third that night, but Lotte won 4-1. Lotte finishes seventh by beating Doosan on Monday and eighth if it loses or draws. Across all 27 results of Monday's three games, every club's place is settled whichever way they go.
Wed, Oct 7
KBO standings race 2026: Doosan is fixed in fifth after LG beat it 7-5 and KIA won 12-4 at Lotte on Wednesday, leaving KIA and LG to settle third, with their meeting on October 12 still to come
Through games of Wednesday, October 7; there are no games on Thursday the 8th. On Tuesday KIA lost 5-4 to Samsung and Doosan won 3-1 at Lotte, so nothing was settled. On Wednesday LG beat Doosan 7-5 and KIA won 12-4 at Lotte, which fixed Doosan in fifth and left KIA and LG unable to finish below fourth. KIA (76-62-2) and LG (77-63-1) are both +14 in wins minus losses, and whichever adds more to that over its games left finishes third. KIA makes sure of third on its own by winning all 4 games it has left, and LG by winning all 3. We ran all 729 results of their six remaining games, draws included.
Mon, Oct 5
KBO standings race 2026: KT clinches first, beating Lotte 9-0 as Samsung loses 7-5 to Doosan and is fixed in second, while KIA beats LG again and can clinch third with five more wins
Through games of Monday, October 5. KT beat Lotte 9-0 and Samsung lost 7-5 to Doosan, so KT clinched first in the regular season and Samsung was fixed in second, on the earliest day our last update said it could happen. KT's and Samsung's games left can no longer change either club's place. KIA beat LG 6-4 and can make sure of third on its own by winning 5 of its last 6, while LG cannot make sure of third on its own even by winning all 5 it has left. Doosan needs help even if it wins out. We ran every result of Tuesday's five games, and of the ten games through Wednesday, October 7, draws included.
Sun, Oct 4
KBO standings race 2026: KT is two away from first after a 2-2 draw with Lotte and Doosan's 12-0 rout of Samsung, and KIA beats LG to move into third
Through games of Sunday, October 4. KT drew 2-2 with Lotte and Doosan beat Samsung 12-0, so if no game is drawn, KT clinches first once its wins and Samsung's losses add up to 2, and the earliest it can happen is Monday, October 5. Samsung now needs help from KT's results even if it wins all 6 games it has left. KIA beat LG 6-5 to move into third in the standings, but LG, KIA and Doosan can each still finish anywhere from third to fifth. We ran every result of Monday's five games, and of the ten games through Tuesday, October 6, draws included.
Sat, Oct 3
KBO standings race 2026: KT or Samsung for first? Samsung beats Doosan 6-4 to lock up the top two, and LG, KIA and Doosan fight for third to fifth
Through games of Saturday, October 3. Samsung beat Hanwha and KT won at KIA on Thursday, October 1, and on Saturday Samsung beat Doosan 6-4 and KIA won 5-4 at LG, so KT and Samsung are now sure to finish first and second in some order. LG, KIA and Doosan can each still finish anywhere from third to fifth. If no game is drawn, KT clinches first once its wins and Samsung's losses add up to 4, and the earliest it can happen is Monday, October 5. We ran every result of Sunday's five games, and of the ten games through Monday, draws included.
Thu, Oct 1
KBO top five set 2026: Doosan beats NC 6-5 for the last playoff place, and KT, Samsung, LG, KIA and Doosan now race for first and Wild Card home field
Through games of Wednesday, September 30. Doosan beat NC 6-5 to clinch a place, and the same win eliminated NC, Lotte and SSG, so all five places are settled: KT, Samsung, LG, KIA and Doosan are in. What is left is the order. KT can finish first or second, Samsung first to fourth, LG and KIA second to fifth and Doosan third to fifth. If no game is drawn, KT clinches first once its wins and Samsung's losses add up to 6. We ran every result of Thursday's four games, and of the nine games through Saturday, October 3, draws included.
Wed, Sep 30
KBO playoff race 2026: KIA clinches despite losing to KT as Doosan beats NC 5-2 and cuts its clinch number to 2; one more Doosan win over NC on Wednesday would settle the top five
Through games of Tuesday, September 29. Doosan beat NC 5-2, dropping NC's ceiling below KIA's floor, so KIA clinched a place although it lost 8-5 to KT. The same win cut Doosan's clinch number from 4 to 2, NC's tragic number from 4 to 2, and Lotte's and SSG's from 2 to 1. KT's win means KIA can no longer finish first. We ran every result of Wednesday's five games, and of the nine games on Wednesday and Thursday, October 1, draws included. One more Doosan win over NC on Wednesday settles all five places that night, and by Thursday night one win in the two games, or two draws, is enough.
Mon, Sep 28
KBO playoff race 2026: Kiwoom's 8-4 win at NC cuts KIA's clinch number to 1 and Doosan's to 4; two Doosan wins over NC on Tuesday and Wednesday would settle the top five
Through games of Sunday, September 27. Kiwoom won 8-4 at NC, lowering NC's ceiling: Doosan's clinch number fell from 5 to 4, KIA's from 2 to 1 and NC's tragic number from 5 to 4. Lotte lost 6-2 at home to Hanwha and its tragic number fell to 2, while SSG stays at 2. LG at KIA was cancelled. We ran every result of Tuesday's five games, and of the ten games on Tuesday and Wednesday, draws included. KIA clinches on Tuesday night unless KT beats KIA and NC beats Doosan, and two Doosan wins over NC would settle all five places by Wednesday night.
Sun, Sep 27
KBO playoff race 2026: KIA's 5-1 win over LG cuts its clinch number to 2; a KIA win and an NC loss on Sunday would put it in; Doosan holds at 5
Through games of Saturday, September 26. KIA beat LG 5-1 and its clinch number fell from 3 to 2. NC beat Hanwha 3-2 and Kiwoom won 10-1 at KT, the 'NC and KIA win' branch of our last update, so Doosan stays at 5 and the tragic numbers stay at NC 5, Lotte 3 and SSG 2. We ran all 16 win-loss combinations of Sunday's four games. A KIA win and an NC loss put KIA in, and a Doosan win over KT together with a Kiwoom win at NC cuts Doosan to 3. The first eliminations could come on Tuesday, September 29.
Sat, Sep 26
KBO playoff race 2026: NC's 8-7 win leaves every number in place; Saturday's Hanwha-NC and LG-KIA games decide what moves
Through games of Friday, September 25. NC beat Hanwha 8-7 in the only game played, the 'if NC wins' branch of our last update, and not one number moved. Doosan still needs 5 wins from its last 10 and KIA 3 from 13, and the tragic numbers are NC 5, Lotte 3 and SSG 2. We ran all eight win-loss combinations of Saturday's three games. A Hanwha win cuts Doosan to 4 and KIA to 2, or KIA to 1 if KIA also beats LG. An NC win leaves Doosan at 5. KIA could clinch as early as Sunday night.
Fri, Sep 25
KBO playoff race 2026: Doosan's clinch number falls to 5, KIA's to 3 without playing; Friday's Doosan-Lotte game cancelled
Through games of Thursday, September 24. NC's 3-2 loss at KT lowered the line for fifth place, and Doosan and KIA each moved a win closer without playing: Doosan now needs 5 wins from its last 10 and KIA 3 from 13. Below the line, NC's tragic number is 5, Lotte's 3 and SSG's 2. Friday's Doosan-Lotte and SSG-Samsung games are cancelled, which leaves Hanwha at NC to decide whether Doosan's number drops to 4 or stays at 5.
Thu, Sep 24
KBO playoff race 2026: LG clinches without playing, Doosan's clinch number falls from 9 to 6 in two games
Through games of Wednesday, September 23. LG clinched a postseason place without playing, Hanwha is eliminated, and two places remain open. Doosan now needs 6 wins from its last 10, down from 9 of 12 on September 20, and KIA needs 4. Below the line, NC's tragic number is 6, SSG's 3 and Lotte's 3.
Sun, Sep 20
KBO postseason race 2026 - Doosan needs 9 wins from its last 12 to clinch the fifth spot
Through games of Sunday, September 20. KT and Samsung have clinched, LG needs one win, and fifth-place Doosan needs 9 wins from its last 12 - a margin of exactly three losses. Below the line, NC's tragic number is 9, SSG's 6, Lotte's 5 and Hanwha's 3. Kiwoom is out.
Wed, Sep 16
KBO fifth place race - Doosan did not play on September 15 and their clinch number still fell from 16 to 15
Through games of Monday, September 15. Doosan were idle, but sixth placed NC lost by a run in Changwon and Doosan's clinch number dropped by one. They can now afford a single defeat in their last 16 games. KT have won seven straight and are down to a magic number of 5.
Mon, Sep 14
KBO standings September 13 - KT retake first with magic number 7, but a tie still goes to Daegu
Through games of Sunday, September 13. KT are 75-46-3 and back in first, with a magic number of 7 posted for the first time. Fifth placed Doosan again have a clinch number equal to their games remaining, both 16, and Kiwoom have been eliminated.
Thu, Sep 10
KBO fifth place 2026 - Doosan need 19 wins from 19 games, so one more loss ends their own control
Through games of Wednesday, September 9. Fifth placed Doosan have a clinch number of 19 and 19 games left. One more defeat and they cannot settle a postseason place themselves. At the top, Samsung and KT are .608 to .607, half a game apart. Hanwha followed a nine game losing streak with five straight wins and 19 runs.
Tue, Sep 8
KBO third place race - KIA sweep KT in Gwangju, the second place door shuts and third opens by .003
Through games of Sunday, September 6. KIA took all three from KT in Gwangju. KT's pursuit of first is now 1.5 games back, and KIA have closed to within .003 of third placed LG. In a tie, though, KIA must sweep the five remaining head to head games to finish ahead. Fifth placed Doosan snapped a five game skid and still need 20 wins.