▲ Logan of kt wiz roars after pitching brilliantly without allowing a run through the 8th inning during the 2026 KBO League professional baseball game against the Lotte Giants held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 5th.
The "Magic Corps" kt wiz has risen to the top of the professional baseball pennant race for the first time in five years.
KT secured a dominant 9-0 victory by slugging three home runs in a home game against the Lotte Giants in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 5th.
With this win, KT recorded 86 wins, 49 losses, and 5 ties with a winning percentage of 0.637. They maintained a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Samsung Lions (82 wins, 54 losses, 3 ties, 0.603 winning percentage), who lost their game today, thereby securing first place in the regular season regardless of the remaining game results.
This is KT's first regular-season championship in five years since 2021.
Back then, KT finished the regular season tied with Samsung at 76 wins, 59 losses, and 9 ties (0.563 winning percentage), won an unprecedented first-place tiebreaker game, and advanced directly to the Korean Series.
KT fluctuated between second and third place during the first half of this season before climbing to sole possession of first place on August 1.
Although they briefly handed over the top spot to Samsung in late August, KT reclaimed first place on September 10 and crossed the finish line first after a relentless late-season sprint.
Having joined the KBO League as its tenth franchise in 2015, kt has once again advanced directly to the Korean Series (a best-of-seven series) to challenge for their second championship in franchise history.
KT batted around the order in the bottom of the first inning, scoring a massive 7 runs.
Leadoff hitter Choi Won-jun opened the scoring with a double down the left-field line. Following doubles by Sam Hilliard and Kim Sang-su, Jang Jun-won blasted a three-run homer over the left-field wall to instantly jump ahead 7-0.
In the sixth inning, Jang Jun-won added another run with a solo home run, and in the bottom of the seventh, Ahn Hyun-min celebrated the championship by launching a solo shot over the center-field wall.
KT starting pitcher Logan Allen delivered his best performance since joining the KBO League, shutting out the Lotte Giants while striking out 14 batters and giving up just 7 hits through 8 innings.
Choi Won-jun, who is locked in a race for the most hits, went 2-for-5, while Lotte's Victor Reyes went 2-for-4, bringing both players to 199 hits for the season.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.