Without Kwak Bin and Kim Do-young, Will the AG's Boost Be Enough? Top 5 Race All But Set as Lotte, Hanwha, NC Struggle

The 2026 KBO season is shaping up to be a predictable one, with the top five teams in the standings appearing to have all but secured their playoff spots. A significant points gap separates these leading clubs from the rest of the league, making a dramatic late-season surge into the postseason highly improbable for the struggling teams.

Teams such as the Lotte Giants, Hanwha Eagles, and NC Dinos are currently facing considerable challenges. Their performances have left them trailing significantly, and the narrative emerging is that they would need an unprecedented "upset" to overcome the deficit and contend for a postseason berth.

This season's relative lack of drama in the playoff race stands in stark contrast to the memorable 2019 KBO season. That year, the Doosan Bears mounted a remarkable comeback, overcoming a nine-game deficit against the SK Wyverns by mid-August to not only win the regular season but also clinch the Korean Series championship. Such historic turnarounds are exceptionally rare, underscoring the unique nature of that achievement.

The current landscape suggests that the historical precedent of a dramatic late-season upset is unlikely to repeat itself in 2026. Fans of the trailing teams are left hoping for a miracle, while the top contenders are focused on maintaining their positions as the regular season winds down.