Samsung and KT’s First-Place Race Tightens, Raising the Prospect of Another Tiebreaker After Five Years

Samsung Lions and KT Wiz are separated by only half a game at the top of the KBO League, reviving memories of the one-game tiebreaker they played in 2021.

Samsung beat the Lotte Giants 3-0 on September 1 behind Austin Voth, who allowed six hits and no runs over seven innings. The victory extended Samsung’s winning streak to six games, while seventh-place Lotte lost its fifth in a row.

KT defeated the Hanwha Eagles 6-1, supported by six scoreless innings from starter Davis Daniel, who gave up four hits and struck out six. Hanwha dropped its seventh consecutive game and has won only once in its last 14 games. The team now sits just one game ahead of ninth-place SSG Landers.

Both Samsung and KT have winning percentages above .600. Samsung leads the league in team batting average at .280, with KT second at .278. Samsung ranks second in team earned-run average at 4.14, while KT ranks third at 4.32. KT has the better starting-pitching ERA, but Samsung’s bullpen ERA is lower. KT trails Samsung in power hitting and baserunning.

The teams have the same number of ties, three, so identical final win-loss records would produce the same winning percentage and trigger a tiebreaker. They last met in one in 2021 after finishing 76-59-9. KT won 1-0 to take first place and went on to win its first Korean Series title. Samsung has 28 games left, compared with 31 for KT, and leads their season series 9-3 after 12 meetings.