Suwon:The KT Wiz have clinched the best regular-season record in South Korean baseball, securing a direct trip to the championship series.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Wiz captured the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) pennant following a 9-0 victory over the Lotte Giants and a 7-5 defeat of the second-place Samsung Lions by the Doosan Bears. These results have given the Wiz a 4 1/2-game lead over the Lions, ensuring the Lions cannot surpass the Wiz in winning percentage even if they win their remaining games and the Wiz lose theirs.
This marks the Wiz's second pennant in franchise history, having first won it in 2021. That year, they won a first-place tiebreaker game against the Lions and subsequently claimed the Korean Series crown. Historically, pennant winners have gone on to win the Korean Series championship about 85 percent of the time.
The Wiz maintained a position among the top three teams in the first half of the season and reached the top of the standings in August. Although the Lions briefly caught up at the end of August, the Wiz reclaimed first place on September 10 and have held it since.
In Monday's decisive game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul, the Wiz scored seven runs in the first inning, including three home runs—two by Jang Jun-won. Starter Logan Allen delivered an impressive performance, pitching eight shutout innings and striking out 14 batters.