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Mired in late-summer swoon, Giants face crucial week in KBO

Published: 18 Aug. 2025, 12:52

Lotte Giants players react to their 3-2 loss to the LG Twins in the clubs' KBO regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on July 20. [YONHAP]

Having won just one of their past 10 games, the Lotte Giants are entering a crucial week that could make or break their postseason hopes in Korean baseball.

The Giants will play all six KBO games this week on the road — the first three against the first-place LG Twins in Seoul and then the next three against the NC Dinos, who are also in the thick of the postseason battle, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.

After games on Aug. 1, the Giants were in third place at 55-44-3, four games behind the second-place Hanwha Eagles and four games ahead of the fourth-place SSG Landers.

Since then, however, the Giants have gone 3-9-1 and are now eight games behind the Eagles. Their lead over the Landers is down to just one game. The Giants are now closer to ninth place than they are to second place.

The Giants had a chance to snap their eight-game losing streak Sunday at home against the Samsung Lions but settled for an 8-8 tie. How they got there particularly stung, as they blew a 7-3 lead in the top of the eighth and then stranded runners in scoring position in the bottom of the 10th and 11th. The game ended on a double play, with Lions shortstop Lee Jae-hyeon making a spectacular diving catch and doubling off Hwang Seong-bin at second base.

There will be little time for the Giants to wallow in self-pity, with the Twins (68-43-2), the owners of the KBO's best record in August at 10-3-0, up next. The Twins also boast the highest team batting average and ERA this month. The Dinos (51-51-6), tied with the Kia Tigers and the KT Wiz for fifth place, have the second-highest winning percentage this month at 7-5-1.

The Tigers (53-53-4) followed their three-game winning streak with three straight losses against the ninth-place Doosan Bears (49-59-5) last week, unable to take advantage of teams above them moving backward. After spending the majority of the month on the road, the Tigers will have a six-game home stand this week, with the last three against the Twins.

Fans take in a KBO regular season game between the home team NC Dinos and the Hanwha Eagles at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Aug. 17. [YONHAP]

The Wiz (55-55-4) will open the week with a big series against the Landers (55-52-4), who are clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead in fourth place. After that, the Wiz will visit the Bears, while the Landers will be on the road against the Eagles (65-44-3).

The Eagles dropped two out of three against the Dinos over the weekend but do not appear to be in danger of falling out of the top three at the moment.

The KBO may surpass 10 million in attendance for the second straight season this week, with the number currently at 9,690,542. The record of 10,887,705 is in danger, with well over a month left in the regular season.

Teams are averaging 17,242 fans per game in 2025, up from 15,122 fans per game last season.

Yonhap