Kang Seung-ho Delivers Again as Doosan Bears Win After KBO Playoff Clinch

Kang Seung-ho delivered the decisive hit for a second straight night as the Doosan Bears followed their KBO postseason-clinching comeback with a 9-7 victory over the NC Dinos on Thursday, October 1, at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

One night after his walk-off infield single completed a three-run ninth inning and sent Doosan back to the postseason, Kang broke a 7-7 tie with a two-run single in the seventh. The Bears improved to 70-63-5, extended their winning streak to three games and moved within two games of fourth-place KIA.

Kang answers after NC retakes the lead

Doosan opened the scoring on Yang Eui-ji’s two-run homer in the first inning, but NC answered with four runs in the third. The Bears responded in the fourth, when Jung Soo-bin hit a two-run double during a four-run rally that restored a 6-4 lead.

NC pulled one run back in the fifth and went ahead 7-6 in the seventh after two runs scored on a defensive error. Doosan immediately loaded the bases in the bottom half. Kang then lined a forkball from Bae Jae-hwan through the middle, scoring two and putting the Bears back in front.

Yang Seok-hwan added an RBI single in the eighth. Kim Taek-yeon recorded the final four outs for his fourth save, his first since April 21. Kang finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run and a walk, while Jung collected three hits and two RBIs.

Walk-off clincher brings Doosan back to October

Thursday’s win came less than 24 hours after Doosan secured the KBO League’s fifth and final postseason place in dramatic fashion.

The Bears trailed NC 5-3 entering the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday, September 30. Kim Min-seok tied the game with a two-run double with one out and the bases loaded. Kang followed with an infield single toward second base that brought Kim Dae-han home for a 6-5 victory.

The result guaranteed Doosan at least fifth place with seven regular-season games remaining. It also ended NC’s postseason hopes and returned the Bears to fall baseball after they finished ninth in 2025.

Doosan’s immediate focus has now shifted from qualification to seeding. The fifth-place club has climbed back into contention for fourth, which would change its position in the KBO’s postseason ladder. Kang’s two decisive hits in two nights have made that late push possible.