The 2026 KBO postseason opened on October 14 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, where the fourth-seeded LG Twins defeated the fifth-seeded Doosan Bears 4-1 in the Wild Card opener. Austin Dean’s two-run homer in the first inning and stellar pitching from starter Ángel Carrasco secured the victory, advancing LG to the semi-playoffs against the Kia Tigers while eliminating Doosan.
Austin Dean Delivers Early to Spark LG’s Offense
On his 33rd birthday, Austin Dean turned the momentum in the bottom of the first inning. Following a hit-by-pitch to leadoff man Hong Chang-ki, Dean faced Doosan starter Gwak 빈 with two outs and a 2-2 count. Catching a 128 km/h breaking ball left high in the zone, Dean launched an 119-meter shot over the left-field wall for a tone-setting two-run homer.
Doosan’s ace Gwak, who claimed the regular-season ERA title at 2.24 alongside 197 strikeouts, recovered admirably after that initial mistake. He struck out 10 batters across six innings, surviving a chaotic bases-loaded jam in the second frame by blowing fastballs past LG’s middle-of-the-order hitters at up to 158 km/h.
Defensive Masterclasses and Late-Inning Escapes
The starting pitchers traded blows—with LG’s veteran import Ángel Carrasco tossing six innings of four-hit, one-run ball—the game hinged on defensive sequences in the middle frames. In the top of the seventh, Doosan threatened with consecutive hits off Carrasco, prompting LG to turn to reliever John Kennedy. After loading the bases via a hit-by-pitch, Doosan manager deployed pinch-hitter Yang Seok-hwan, who drove a deep fly ball to center field that appeared destined to flip the scoreboard.
Enter Park Hae-min. According to reporting, Park tracked the sinking liner all the way to the warning track, securing the out to limit Doosan to a single sacrifice fly. Though a run scored, the web-gem preserved LG’s narrow 2-1 lead.
| Statistic / Metric | LG Twins | Doosan Bears |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 4 | 1 |
| Starting Pitcher | Ángel Carrasco (6 IP, 1 ER) | Gwak 빈 (6 IP, 2 ER, 10 SO) |
| Hits Recorded | 7 | 4 |
| Postseason Result | Advances to 준PO vs. KIA | Eliminated |
Managerial Frustration and the End of an Era at Jamsil
The defeat marked a bitter conclusion to Doosan’s campaign, compounding the historic nature of the fixture. As noted, this matchup represented the final postseason series hosted at the historic Jamsil Baseball Stadium before its scheduled demolition, bringing an end to decades of fierce crosstown rivalry games at the venue. Doosan finishes the historic year with a 406-373-22 all-time head-to-head record against LG in the venue’s storied history.
Following the final out, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung expressed blunt frustration over his squad’s lack of execution. Yna.co.kr captured the skipper’s post-match assessment:
“1년 내내 공격 쪽에서 활로가 막혔던 부분이 오늘 경기에도 여실히 드러났습니다. 패배를 떠나 감독 입장에서는 창피한 경기였습니다.”
With the dust settled in the 2026 Wild Card opener, LG avoids an extra elimination game and pivots directly to a 5-game semi-playoff series against regular-season third-place finishers the Kia Tigers, with action scheduled to commence on October 17.
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