LG clinches first regular season title in 29 years with ‘Again in 1994’
The LG Twins of Major League Baseball have finally fulfilled a longtime dream. The team clinched first place in the regular season on Wednesday.
LG is one win away from the “magic number” to win the regular season title. LG didn’t have a game that day, and the team traveled to Busan to play the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium on April 4-5.
However, second-place KT Wiz and third-place NC Dinos lost to the KIA Tigers and SSG Landers, respectively, on the third day, bringing LG’s magic number to zero. LG clinched the regular season title and a direct ticket to the Korean Series regardless of the outcome of the remaining games.
LG has nine games left, including a game against Lotte on April 4, and even with a loss, KT and NC will not be able to overtake LG in terms of winning percentage.
The last time LG clinched the top spot in the regular season was in 1994. LG has fond memories of beating the Pacific Dolphins in that year’s Korean Series to finish atop the standings and win the “combined title.
LG is also returning to the Korean Series for the first time in 21 years. If you include their predecessor, the MBC Cheongryong, they’ve been there seven times. The last time was in 2002, when LG finished runner-up to the Samsung Lions with a 2-4 series record.
LG has raised its expectations of winning the Korean Series. Since the inception of the KBO League in 1989, excluding the former, latter, and bi-district leagues, the team that finished first in the regular season has won the Korean Series 27 out of 32 times. The probability of winning the title is also high at 84.4 percent.
LG was in a tight race for the lead with SSG after the start of the season, but the team took sole possession of first place on June 27 and never relinquished it. They were later chased by KT, but fought off the challenge and secured the top spot in the regular season for the first time in 29 years.
Meanwhile, KT dropped a 1-3 home game against KIA at Katie Wiz Park in Suwon on the same day. KT now has 74 wins, three draws, and 60 losses.안전놀이터
Sixth-ranked KIA snapped a two-game losing streak and moved back into the top five with 65 wins, two draws, and 65 losses. NC failed to hold on to a 5-0 lead against SSG at SSG Landers Field in Incheon and came from behind to lose 7-9.
NC snapped a four-game losing streak and fell to 70 wins, two draws and 61 losses. SSG reeled off three straight wins to stay in fifth place with 68 wins, three draws and 63 losses.