Kim Do-yeong’s 100th Homer Clinches Third Place for KIA Tigers

Kim Do-yeong hit the 100th home run of his KBO career at the perfect moment, launching a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning to lift the KIA Tigers past the LG Twins 4-2 on Monday, October 12, at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

The victory in the final game of the regular season secured third place for KIA at 79-63-2 and sent the Tigers directly to the KBO Semiplayoffs. LG finished fourth at 78-65-1 and will host the fifth-place Doosan Bears in the Wild Card Series beginning October 14.

Kim Do-yeong delivers in the eighth

With the score tied 2-2, Park Jae-hyun opened the bottom of the eighth with a bunt single against LG reliever Jon Kennedy. Kim stepped in with a 2-0 count and drove Kennedy’s next pitch, a slider, over the center-field wall.

The blast was Kim’s 45th home run of the season and the 100th of his KBO career. It also broke a tie in a game that directly decided which club would skip the Wild Card Series.

Jeon Sang-hyun retired LG in the ninth to finish the win. He was also credited with the victory after working two scoreless innings, while Kennedy took the loss.

Final-day showdown decides third place

KIA entered the finale a half-game ahead of LG and needed a win or a tie to hold third place. The Tigers had missed an opportunity to clinch one day earlier in a 4-1 loss to the Lotte Giants, leaving the direct Semiplayoff berth to be decided head-to-head.

Park gave KIA an immediate lead with a solo home run in the first inning, his 19th of the season. LG catcher Park Dong-won answered with a solo shot in the second.

KIA moved back in front in the fourth when Kim was hit by a pitch, Harold Castro singled and Kim Sun-bin executed a squeeze bunt. LG tied the game again in the sixth on Moon Jeong-bin’s 19th home run, setting the stage for Kim’s decisive swing two innings later.

Veteran KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong allowed one run over five innings. LG starter Lim Chan-gyu gave up two runs before departing in the fourth as both clubs treated the regular-season finale like a postseason elimination game.

KIA earns rest before KBO Semiplayoffs

The third-place finish gives KIA four days to reset before opening the Semiplayoffs on October 17 against the winner of the LG-Doosan Wild Card Series.

LG now has little recovery time. The Twins return to Jamsil Baseball Stadium on October 14 to face Doosan, with their season on the line.

For KIA, the difference between those paths came down to one swing from its biggest star: Kim’s milestone homer turned a 2-2 tie into a 4-2 win and sent the Tigers straight into the next round.