KBO Recap: KT Wiz 5-4 Doosan Bears | August 27 Highlights & Scores

Game Summary

The KT Wiz edged out the visiting Doosan Bears 5-4 in an extra-inning thriller at Suwon on Wednesday night, extending their first-place lead in the standings. What looked like it might be a close but straightforward contest turned into a back-and-forth battle that required eleven innings to decide. The Bears clawed their way back from an early deficit, but couldn’t quite seal the deal when it mattered most, with the Wiz’s Jin-hyeok Jang delivering the walk-off blow.

The game featured five pitching changes for Doosan and five for KT, reflecting how tight things remained throughout. Neither team could build any real momentum until the late innings, when suddenly runs became easier to come by. It was the kind of competitive matchup that’s become familiar between these two clubs as the season reaches its stretch run.

Pitching Performance

Starting pitcher Seung-yong Choi managed four and two-thirds innings for the Bears, surrendering four runs on five hits while striking out six. He ran into trouble early but managed to work through most of the middle innings without further damage. The Doosan bullpen handled things reasonably well until the late going, with Yu-chan Yi taking the loss despite throwing just one pitch—a home run ball that he’ll want back.

Young-pyo Go was solid for KT through seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits with six strikeouts. He didn’t dominate, but he was efficient and kept his team in front through most of the night. The Wiz’s relief corps had some shakier moments, particularly when Sugimoto coughed up three runs in the eighth, but Dong-hyun Sohn nailed down the win by retiring the side in the eleventh.

Offensive Highlights

Ui-ji Yang provided the most thunderous blow for Doosan, launching a three-run homer off Sugimoto in the eighth inning to give the Bears a temporary lead. That blast seemed to shift momentum in Doosan’s favor at the time, and it kept them in the game when they otherwise might have fallen further behind. Jun-sun Park went 2-for-4 for the visitors, as did Chan-ho Park, providing some consistency in the middle of the lineup.

The Wiz didn’t need any single dominant offensive performance. Instead, they got contributions from multiple angles. Sang-soo Kim reached base three times in four at-bats, working the gaps and creating opportunities. Han-seung Han collected two hits in limited at-bats, and An-hyun An drove in a crucial run in the fifth inning with his double down the line. The Wiz weren’t flashy, but they were opportunistic.

Key Play of the Game

There was no doubt about what decided this one: Jin-hyeok Jang’s two-out solo home run in the eleventh inning off Yu-chan Yi. With the game still tied and the Bears’ bullpen thoroughly exhausted, Jang got hold of a pitch and sent it over the wall in right field to end the marathon. It was only his second home run of the game—well, his second of the year—but it came at precisely the moment the Wiz needed it most.

The Bears had their chances to avoid that moment. They stranded runners in scoring position in multiple innings and didn’t capitalize on some early Wiz mistakes, including an error by Jae-seok An in the fourth. Su-haeng Jo did manage to steal a base in the fourth and later scored from second on a wild pitch, but those individual plays weren’t enough to overcome the Wiz’s late-game execution.

Standings Impact

With this win, the KT Wiz improved to 66 wins, 3 draws, and 42 losses, extending their grip on first place. They now sit comfortably ahead of the rest of the league with solid baseball and timely hitting throughout the lineup. The Doosan Bears fell to 59-4-52, remaining in fifth place. For a team with championship aspirations, staying competitive in games like this is essential, but they came up just short when it counted.

The loss doesn’t derail Doosan’s season, but with the Wiz playing this well, the gap at the top of the standings continues to widen. KT’s depth in the bullpen and ability to scratch out runs in close games gives them a real edge down the final stretch of the season.