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KT Wiz defeat LG Twins 11-7 as all five KBO season openers sell out

Published: 29 Mar. 2026, 13:58 Updated: 29 Mar. 2026, 14:45

The KT Wiz celebrate after an 11-7 win over the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on March 28. [NEWS1]

The KT Wiz opened the 2026 KBO season with an 11-7 win over the defending champions LG Twins behind an 18-hit performance at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Saturday, a day when all five opening day games sold out.

All nine Wiz starters recorded at least one hit, the sixth such feat in an opening game in KBO history.

New foreign hitter Sam Hilliard led the Wiz with three hits and 3 RBIs, including a solo home run in the seventh inning. Ahn Hyun-min, last year’s rookie of the year, reached base five times with hits and walks and scored three runs to anchor the offense.

Rookie infielder Lee Gang-min, 19, delivered an RBI hit in his first career at-bat and finished with three hits, tying the record for most hits in an opening game by a high school graduate rookie set by Jang Sung-ho in 1996.

The Wiz's new foreign pitcher Matt Sauer allowed five hits, including a home run, and issued five walks over five innings, giving up three runs. He still earned the win in his KBO debut with strong run support.

Twins starter Yonny Chirinos, who took the mound in the opening game for the second consecutive year, allowed six runs on six hits in just one inning. After retiring two batters in the first, he walked Ahn and then gave up six consecutive hits.

The Twins attempted a comeback behind Park Dong-won, who recorded three hits, a home run, a walk and three RBIs, but failed to overturn the deficit.

Elsewhere, the Lotte Giants beat the Samsung Lions 6-3 in Daegu, extending momentum from their preseason success.

Lotte Giants right fielder Yoon Dong-hee, center, celebrates after hitting a home run during a KBO game against the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on March 28. [LOTTE GIANTS]

The Giants' new foreign pitcher, Elvin Rodriguez, allowed two hits and five walks over five scoreless innings to earn his first win. Yoon Dong-hee hit a 2-run home run in the first inning, marking the first home run of the season.

Victor Reyes added a two-run homer in the seventh, and Jeon Jun-woo followed with a solo shot in the eighth to back the Giants. Rookie Park Jeong-min recorded a save, becoming the fourth rookie in league history to earn a save in an opening game.

Choi Hyoung-woo, who returned to the Lions after nine years, set records as the oldest position player to appear in and record a hit in a KBO game at 42 years, 3 months and 12 days, though the team lost.

The SSG Landers, meanwhile, secured a 7-6 walk-off win over the Kia Tigers in Incheon.

The Landers trailed throughout after starter Mitch White allowed five runs in four innings, but scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to complete the comeback.

The Tigers wasted a strong outing from starter James Naile, who threw six scoreless innings, as the bullpen failed to hold the lead. Reliever Cho Sang-woo allowed the winning run on a walk-off wild pitch, marking the 42nd such instance in league history and his second.

The NC Dinos also beat the Doosan Bears 6-0 in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, after a decisive three-run home run by Park Kun-woo.

Koo Chang-mo, the only Korean starting pitcher on Saturday, allowed two hits and one walk while striking out three over five scoreless innings.

Over in Daejeon, the Hanwha Eagles beat the Kiwoom Heroes 10-9 in extra innings. Kang Baek-ho, who joined the Eagles in November last year, delivered a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 11th inning.

The Hanwha Eagles celebrate after a 10-9 win over the Kiwoom Heroes at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on March 28. [HANWHA EAGLES]

Eagles rookie outfielder Oh Jae-won started as the leadoff hitter, becoming the third high school graduate rookie to do so on opening day.

He recorded three hits, tying the record for most hits in an opening game by a high school graduate rookie alongside Wiz’s Lee Gang-min.

Saturday's five games, meanwhile, were all sold out and drew a combined 105,878 fans. The total marked the third-highest opening-day attendance in KBO history, behind 114,021 in 2019 and 109,950 last season.

Hanwha Eagles fans watch a KBO game between the Eagles and Kiwoom Heroes at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on March 28. [NEWS1]

Jamsil Baseball Stadium drew 23,750 fans, while 23,000 attended at Incheon SSG Landers Field and 24,000 filled Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Changwon NC Park recorded 18,128 spectators and Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark drew 17,000 fans.

The KBO surpassed 10 million in total attendance for the first time in 2024 with 10,887,705 fans. It followed that with 12,312,519 spectators last year.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]