Samsung Reaches 70 Wins First with 7-Game Winning Streak, Chasing 2nd-Place KT by 0.001 in Win Percentage

The Samsung Lions claimed the 70-win mark first by extending their blistering winning streak to seven games.

Samsung defeated the Lotte Giants 8-5 in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League match held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

With a record of 70 wins, 44 losses, and 3 draws (a win percentage of 0.614), Samsung became the first team to reach 70 wins in the pennant race since 2015.

In the bottom of the first inning, Samsung took a 2-0 lead when Kim Ji-chan hit a double, followed by timely hits from Kim Sung-yoon and Choi Hyung-woo.

Lotte tied the game as Go Seung-min hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the second and fourth innings.

However, Samsung regained the lead at 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Kim Sung-yoon, and then pulled away to 8-2 in the sixth by scoring five massive runs, highlighted by a three-run triple from Kim Ji-chan.

Lotte mounted a chase by adding three more runs, but failed to turn the game around and fell into a six-game losing streak.

Samsung starting pitcher Choi Won-tae earned the win after allowing two runs on four hits over six innings, while Lotte's Park Se-woong gave up seven runs on ten hits in 5 and 2/3 innings.

In Suwon, the KT Wiz beat the Hanwha Eagles 9-6, who started Ryu Hyun-jin.

Sitting in second place with 68 wins, 43 losses, and 3 draws (a win percentage of 0.613), KT narrowed the gap with Samsung to a razor-thin 0.001 in win percentage.

KT drew first blood in the bottom of the first when Kim Min-hyuk hit an RBI single amid an opponent error.

In the bottom of the second, capitalizing on another error, they added three runs off four hits to jump to a 4-0 lead.

Hanwha, trailing behind, instantly tied the game in the top of the fifth with four runs, capped by a three-run homer from Kang Baek-ho.

However, KT reclaimed a 6-4 advantage in the bottom of the seventh with a double by Kim Min-hyuk and an RBI single by Huh Kyung-min.

In the eighth, they sealed the victory by adding three more runs, including a solo home run by Sam Hilliard.

Hanwha, suffering its eighth consecutive defeat, dropped to ninth place.

Ryu Hyun-jin, who allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over five innings, has failed to pick up a win for nearly three months since his outing against the KIA Tigers on June 11.

In Jamsil, the LG Twins defeated the Doosan Bears 5-1 to secure their third straight win.

LG took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with two outs and runners on second and third when Moon Bo-gyeong hit an RBI single to right-center.

With the bases loaded and two outs continuing, Park Dong-won added two runs with an infield hit to push the score to 4-0.

Doosan got on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to right by Park Jun-soon.

However, LG put the game away in the bottom of the eighth when Moon Jung-bin slammed a solo home run over the right-center field fence.

Deploying a "bullpen day," LG starter Kim Yoon-sik allowed one run in 2 and 1/3 innings before six relief pitchers shut down Doosan's offense for the rest of the game.

In Changwon, where Japanese pitchers faced each other as starters for the first time, the NC Dinos defeated the KIA Tigers 3-2.

KIA opened the scoring in the top of the second when Na Sung-bum launched a solo home run over the right field wall.

NC fought back in the bottom of the fourth, turning the game around 2-1 with timely hits from Park Kun-woo and Kim 휘-jip.

KIA tied it 2-2 in the top of the seventh when Na Sung-bum, who reached on an error, scored on Kim Ho-ryung's sacrifice fly.

However, NC loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth due to control issues from KIA closer Lee 의-리, and eventually secured a walk-off victory when Sung Young-tak, who replaced Lee, issued a bases-loaded walk to Kim Hyung-jun.

NC starter Natsuki Toda pitched five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits, while KIA's Keisho Shirakawa allowed two runs on four hits through six innings.

At Gocheok Sky Dome, where the 9th and 10th place teams clashed, the SSG Landers came from behind to beat the Kiwoom Heroes 9-6.

Tied 1-1, Kiwoom pulled ahead 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Matt Davidson hit a three-run homer, followed by a two-run blast to left by Yeo Dong-wook in the bottom of the sixth.

SSG clawed back four runs in the top of the seventh, and Kim Jae-hwan tied the game 6-6 in the top of the ninth with a solo homer to right.

In the ensuing attack, SSG overturned the game with an RBI single by Oh Tae-gon and added two more runs amid Kiwoom errors to seal the win.

With the victory, SSG climbed past Hanwha into eighth place, while last-place Kiwoom sank to its sixth straight loss.

(Photo courtesy of Samsung Lions, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.