Race to playoffs heats up as KBO reaches final few games

With the LG Twins already crowned regular season champions, the focus is now on the race to the playoffs with the third- to sixth-place teams all still in contention.

The LG Twins celebrate after winning the KBO regular season title while on the road at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on Oct. 4. [YONHAP]

With the LG Twins already crowned regular season champions, the focus is now on the race to the playoffs with the third- to sixth-place teams all still in contention.

The LG Twins broke a 29-year dry spell to win the KBO pennant on Tuesday last week, locking in the regular season title with eight games still to go.

The Twins were not able to celebrate until a day later, as the Seoul club was not actually in action on the day of their coronation — it came at the hands of the Kia Tigers beating the second-place KT Wiz to ensure the Suwon, Gyeonggi team had no choice of catching the league leaders.

But with just a handful of games left this season and the Twins already locked in for first, the race is now on to see who can claim the final playoff spots.

The KBO regular season runs for 144 games, with a linear postseason bracket starting as soon as the season ends.

The fifth and fourth place teams face off in the Wildcard Series, a two-game series that the fourth-place team starts with a one-game advantage. The winner of that series goes on to face the third-place finisher in the five-game first round of the playoffs, with the winner facing the second-place finisher in the second round of the playoffs.

Whoever emerges from that run of playoffs advances to the seven-game Korean Series, where the first-place finisher — in this case the LG Twins — is waiting for them. As of press time Monday, the Doosan Bears sit in third place with eight games still to play — the most of any team in the league. That position could be good or bad for the fall ball-loving Bears, with more chances to pick up some wins and more chances to lose.

The Bears trail the second-place Wiz by four games, with the Wiz only having one more game to play this season.

Behind the Bears sit the SSG Landers, tied with the Bears on game difference but slightly behind on winning percentage with five games left to play.

The NC Dinos trail half a game behind with seven games still to play, with the Kia Tigers three games behind them with seven games still to play.

The race tails off from there, with the Lotte Giants, Samsung Lions, Hanwha Eagles and Kiwoom Heroes all well out of contention for a playoff spot.

That mess will likely all be resolved this week, although it could remain open until the final day of the regular season on Oct. 17 with so little space between third, fourth and fifth.

The Bears could still challenge the Wiz for second, although they’d have to win practically every game remaining — including against the Wiz in the Suwon club’s final game on Tuesday — to make it happen.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Bears will also face both the Dinos — on Thursday — and the Landers — to round off the season on Monday and Tuesday next week — with those fixtures quite possibly deciding the final standings.

The Dinos and Landers will manage to avoid each other, while the Tigers will face all three rivals and end the season with a two-game home stand against the Dinos next week.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]