Seoul: The Doosan Bears dashed the LG Twins’ aspirations of clinching the South Korean baseball pennant at home with a decisive 6-0 victory on Tuesday night. In a game that could have secured the Twins the best regular-season record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), they faltered, leaving their fate hanging until their season finale.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Twins entered the game with a slim lead over the Hanwha Eagles, leading by 2 1/2 games. To secure the pennant, they needed either a win or a loss or a tie by the Eagles in their game against the Lotte Giants. However, they faced disappointment as they managed only three hits at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, while the Eagles secured a narrow 1-0 victory in 10 innings against the Giants at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, 140 kilometers south of the capital.

With their record now standing at 85-54-3, the Twins will have another opportunity to claim the title in their final game against the NC Dinos on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Eagles, trailing by 1 1/2 games with a record of 83-56-3, will face the SSG Landers on Wednesday before concluding their regular season against the KT Wiz on Friday.

The Bears, finishing their season in ninth place with a record of 61-77-6, played the role of spoilers. Former Twin Yang Suk-hwan’s two-run home run in the fourth inning off Twins’ starter Song Seung-ki set the tone for the game. Bears’ starter Cole Irvin delivered a stellar performance, keeping the Twins scoreless over 5 1/3 innings while allowing just two singles.

The Twins’ attempts to rally were thwarted by double play balls. Promising chances in the fourth and sixth innings were undone by timely defensive plays by the Bears. Park Ji-hoon’s two-out double in the seventh inning extended the Bears’ lead to 3-0, and they added three more runs in the ninth inning, sealing the Twins’ fate.

As the season approaches its conclusion, the SSG Landers secured the No. 3 seed with a 4-3 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes, registering their fourth consecutive win and improving their record to 74-63-4. The Samsung Lions clinched the fourth seed with a shutout victory over the Kia Tigers, moving to 74-67-2 and maintaining a two-game lead over the NC Dinos, who have two games remaining.

The upcoming postseason will kick off with a wild card round between the Lions and the No. 5 team. The Lions, as the higher seed, have the advantage of advancing with a win or a tie, while the lower-seeded team will need to win two straight games on the road. The Landers, as the No. 3 seed, earned a bye to the best-of-five first round, while the second seed will advance directly to the second round. The regular-season champion will receive a bye to the best-of-seven Korean Series.