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Lotte Giants top KBO preseason as league readies for regular action on Saturday

Published: 25 Mar. 2026, 12:42

Fans cheer during a preseason game between the Doosan Bears and the Kia Tigers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul on March 22. [YONHAP]

The preseason for Korean baseball drew to a conclusion Tuesday with a familiar name at the top of the standings.

The Lotte Giants finished with the best record in the KBO at 8-2-2. They clinched the top spot on Monday thanks to a 5-2 win over the SSG Landers, rendering the 6-3 loss to the Incheon club on Tuesday irrelevant.

The Giants have won the preseason 13 times, but their spring success has hardly led to similar results in regular seasons. Most recently, the Giants tied for first in the preseason in 2022 but went on to finish eighth in the regular season that year.

The Giants have not been to the postseason since 2017. They have been teasing their faithful in the southeastern city of Busan for a few years by getting off to hot starts only to fade away in the summer. And despite their preseason performance, the Giants aren't regarded as a postseason contender in 2026 because they will be shorthanded in the early going.

Four Giants players were slapped with lengthy suspensions by the league over illegal overseas gambling in February, including 30-game bans for regular infielders Go Seung-min and Na Seung-yeup.

The Doosan Bears had the second-best record in the preseason at 7-4-1. They, too, missed the postseason in 2025 and will try to return to the dance under new manager Kim Won-hyong.

The Kia Tigers defeated the Samsung Lions 2-1 on Tuesday but still finished the preseason in second-to-last place at 4-6-2.

The Kiwoom Heroes, who occupied the KBO cellar in each of the past three years, won their final two preseason games over the defending champions LG Twins this week. The Heroes finished at 5-6-1, good for a tie for sixth place.

Crowds pack the Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on March 22. [YONHAP]

Tuesday saw strong outings by foreign starting pitchers across the league.

Anthony Veneziano of the Landers held the Giants to a run over five innings and struck out seven for his second win of spring.

Heroes starter Nathan Wiles tossed five scoreless innings against the Twins in a 5-2 victory. For the Tigers, Adam Oller threw four shutout innings and struck out eight Lions batters. Oller finished the preseason with 18 strikeouts in only 9 2/3 innings.

New KT Wiz starter Caleb Boushley pitched six innings of one-run ball against the Bears. Boushley led all pitchers this spring with 14 2/3 innings.

Among other individual performers, Landers infielder Ko Myeong-jun led the preseason with six home runs, including two against the Giants on Tuesday.

Landers manager Lee Sung-yong has long been a fan of Ko's raw power and has said the 23-year-old, who hit a career-high 17 home runs last year, is capable of launching 30 or more dingers.

The KBO said a record total of 440,247 fans attended 60 preseason games this month, shattering the previous high of 321,763 fans last year.

The teams were limited to 42 games last year due to rainouts. No preseason game was canceled due to inclement weather this spring.

The regular season starts Saturday with all five games starting at 2 p.m. The Twins will open their title defense against the Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

Yonhap