Changwon, South Korea — The NC Dinos clinched a 14-9 victory over the Doosan Bears in Thursday's wild card game for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. The win sends the Dinos to the next round of the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Yonhap News Agency reports that No. 7 hitter Seo Ho-cheol delivered a grand slam and accounted for six RBIs at Changwon NC Park. Kim Hyung-jun, batting eighth, added two home runs and four RBIs to the score. These performances broke several wild card records: Seo's grand slam was the first in KBO wild card history, and his six RBIs set another wild card game record.
While the Dinos needed only a tie to advance, the fifth-seeded Bears would have had to win two straight games to move to the next round. The Bears led in the first three innings but could not maintain their advantage. They have yet to succeed in progressing past the wild card round as a fifth seed.
The Dinos will next face the SSG Landers, last season's champions, in a best-of-five series beginning on Sunday at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon.