KIA sweep LG on Kim Do-young's grand slam, advance to playoff

The KIA Tigers swept the LG Twins behind a grand slam from Kim Do-young to advance to the playoff round of the KBO postseason.

KIA routed LG 13-1 in Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO wild-card series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday, with Na Sung-bum, Kim Do-young and Han Jun-su combining for a home run barrage.

Having won all three games of the best-of-five series, KIA secured their berth in the playoff round with a 3-0 series record.

KIA became only the third team to sweep a best-of-five wild-card series, following Samsung in 2008 and the NC Dinos in 2023.

It is also KIA's first playoff appearance since 2003.

KIA will open the best-of-five playoff series against regular-season runner-up Samsung on Sunday at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.

KIA won the Korean Series in 2009, 2017 and 2024, but in each of those years they finished first in the regular season and advanced directly to the Korean Series without playing in the playoff round.

Kim, who finished the wild-card series with three home runs — including Tuesday's grand slam — and eight RBIs, was named series MVP after receiving 84 of 97 votes from the media.

LG, eliminated after three straight losses, ended their home season on a sour note, having lost 10 consecutive games to KIA dating back to the regular season.

KIA drew first blood in the top of the second inning when leadoff batter Na Sung-bum hit a solo home run to center field off Carrasco to make it 1-0. KIA continued to press, loading the bases with one out before Park Jeong-woo singled to left to extend the lead to 2-0.

LG pulled the struggling Carrasco and brought in left-handed sidearm reliever John Kennedy, but Park Jae-hyeon promptly singled to left to push the score to 3-0.

Kim Do-young then stepped in against Kennedy and, on a 1-1 count, got under a 144.4 km/h fastball running inside on the third pitch and launched it over the center-field fence.

The ball left the bat at 179.3 km/h and landed in the upper deck of the outfield stands at Jamsil, traveling 145.8 meters for a towering grand slam.

Kim's blast stretched the lead to 7-0, in effect ending the series.

With the outcome all but decided, KIA added another run in the top of the fifth on a sharp RBI single by Park Jeong-woo, then Na Sung-bum hit a solo home run to right field in the sixth to make it 9-0.

LG finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on second and third — set up by Gu Bon-hyeok's single to right and Park Hae-min's double — Austin Dean hit a groundout to bring home a run and make it 9-1.

KIA put the game away for good in the late innings. Han Jun-su hit a solo home run to right in the seventh, then in the eighth, with the bases loaded, Han drew a walk to force in a run and Park Min-eun added a two-run double, tacking on three more runs.

KIA starter Shirakawa earned the win after holding LG to four hits and one run over five innings while striking out nine, and was named the game's MVP.

A crowd of 23,650 attended Tuesday's game at Jamsil, bringing cumulative postseason attendance this year to 85,000.

KBO postseason games have sold out for 41 consecutive contests since Game 1 of the 2023 Korean Series.