KIA Tigers and LG Twins reached the final stretch of the regular season locked in a race so tight that third place may come down to the last game on the 12th. KIA sit third with 76 wins, 2 draws and 62 losses, while LG are right behind at 77 wins, 1 draw and 63 losses.
For KIA, the timing matters because James Neale is set to start against NC Dinos in Changwon on the 9th, the first of four remaining games for the Tigers. LG have three left, beginning with two straight games against Lotte Giants in Busan before a rest day on the 11th as they travel to Gwangju. That schedule leaves KIA playing on four straight days, while LG get a breather before the season’s final head-to-head meeting.
The difference between the clubs is almost invisible on paper. KIA lead LG by just 0.0007 in winning percentage, with KIA at.5507 and LG at.550, even though both teams are tied in games behind. In practice, that sliver is enough to keep KIA in third place and LG in fourth for now.
Third place is the prize both sides are chasing because it brings five days of rest before Game 1 of the Junior Playoffs on the 17th. Fourth place means a very different path: a one-day turnaround after the regular season ends on the 12th and a Wild Card round game against Doosan Bears on the 14th. The five postseason teams are already set, so the only question left is which order KIA and LG will finish in.
That is why the final games matter more than the standings table might suggest. KIA hold an 8-7 edge in the head-to-head series this season, and the teams are scheduled to meet in Gwangju on the 12th after KIA play SSG Landers on the 10th and Lotte Giants on the 11th. If both clubs keep winning through the week, that game could decide who gets the direct berth and who has to survive one more round.
For now, KIA have the narrowest of edges, but the margin is small enough to vanish with one result. By the time they face LG in Gwangju, third place may already belong to the team that handled the pressure best over four days that leave no room to breathe.
