The Samsung Lions have dramatically secured first place in the first half of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, edging out the LG Twins by a margin of 2-ri (0.002) in winning percentage.

In a home game against LG held today (July 9) at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, Samsung defeated the visitors 6-5 after breaking down LG's foreign hard-throwing relief pitcher Yaxel Rios.

With this victory, Samsung recorded 51 wins, 2 draws, and 32 losses, achieving a winning percentage of 0.614. This allowed them to reclaim the top spot after one day, pushing LG (52 wins, 33 losses) to second place with a winning percentage of 0.612.

This marks the first time since 2015 that Samsung has finished the first half in first place under the current 10-team system, an 11-year drought.

As expected from a final showdown deciding the first-half leader, the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle.

Samsung took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with a double by Park Seung-gyu followed by an RBI single from Koo Ja-wook. LG turned the game around to 2-1 in the second inning with an RBI single by Oh Ji-hwan with two outs and runners on second and third.

LG only managed to add one run on a sacrifice fly during a golden opportunity with the bases loaded and no outs in the third inning. Samsung then leveled the score at 3-3 with an RBI single by Choi Hyeong-woo in the bottom of the third and a sacrifice fly by Yang Woo-hyun in the fourth.

Catcher Kang Min-ho, who tagged up from third base to score that crucial tying run, delivered the game-winning hit in the sixth inning with an RBI double down the left-field line with no outs and a runner on first.

Samsung extended their lead to 5-3 following an RBI single by pinch hitter Kim Seong-yun with one out and a runner on third.

In the eighth inning, Samsung slugger Kim Young-woong hit a 130-meter solo home run off LG closer Son Ju-young to solidify the 6-3 lead.

It was Kim Young-woong's first home run of the season and the first home run allowed by Son Ju-young this year.

Rios, who came on in relief in the sixth inning, gave up two hits and one walk, allowing two runs to take the loss.

In the ninth inning, LG cut the deficit to 5-6 after scoring one run on a groundout by Park Hae-min and then relentlessly pressuring Samsung closer Kim Jae-yoon, drawing three consecutive walks to score a run on a bases-loaded walk.

However, with one out and the bases loaded, Cheon Seong-ho hit into a shortstop double play, ending the game in defeat.

In Busan, the KIA Tigers defeated the Lotte Giants 5-2, snapping a four-game losing streak as they head into the second half of the season.

After suffering a losing streak against Lotte with lackluster play, KIA took the lead in the second inning with a solo home run over the right-field fence by Harold Castro.

Leading 2-1, they extended the gap to 3-1 in the sixth inning thanks to Kim Do-young's 27th home run of the season.

Kim Do-young pulled a fastball on the first pitch from Lotte starter Kim Jin-wook, sending it 130 meters into the left-field stands.

Having rediscovered his power after a week, Kim Do-young returned to a tie for the league lead in home runs alongside Austin Dean of LG.

Kim Do-young also recorded two hits and two RBIs, having hit an RBI single in his second at-bat in the third inning.

In the eighth inning, Na Sung-bum sealed the victory with a two-run home run over the left-field fence.

KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong held the Lotte lineup to five scattered hits and one run over five innings, earning his sixth win of the season and the 192nd of his career.

At Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, the Doosan Bears routed the SSG Landers 7-0, powered by two home runs.

In the bottom of the second inning with no outs and a runner on first, Ahn Jae-seok hit a two-run homer over the right-center fence, followed by a two-run shot to left by Kang Seung-ho with two outs and a runner on second.

In the bottom of the third, Park Chan-ho hit a two-RBI single to left-center with one out and the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out and runners on first and second, Park Jun-sun hit an RBI single to left against SSG's relief pitcher Choi Min-jun, extending the lead to 7-0.

The sixth-place Hanwha Eagles defeated the seventh-place NC Dinos 6-4 in Daejeon, widening the gap between them to 1.5 games.

Hanwha rookie Oh Jae-won led the victory with three hits and three RBIs.

Leading 1-0, Oh Jae-won hit an RBI single to center in the second inning and another RBI single to right in the fifth to extend the lead to 3-0. With the game tied 4-4 in the eighth inning, he delivered a game-winning RBI triple to right-center with two outs and a runner on first, roaring in celebration.

Oh Jae-won then scored on a subsequent RBI single to right by pinch hitter Hwang Young-mook.

NC, which had trailed 0-4, had to settle for tying the game with two-run homers from Kim Hyung-jun and Park Min-woo.

The game between the Kiwoom Heroes and kt wiz in Suwon was declared a no-game in the bottom of the fourth inning with kt leading 3-0, after being interrupted twice by rain for a total of 2 hours and 3 minutes.

The 2026 professional baseball season, which has played 424 games to date, has attracted a record-high 7,633,775 spectators for the first half of the season.

The 10 clubs will hold the Futures (minor league) All-Star Game and the All-Star Game at Jamsil Stadium on July 10 and 11, respectively, before resuming the second-half race on July 16.

(Photo: Courtesy of Samsung Lions, Yonhap News)