Kim Do-yeong's Record Grand Slam Sends Kia Past LG and Into Samsung Showdown

A 145-meter blast seals a sweep in Seoul

Kim Do-yeong hit a grand slam that matched the KBO postseason distance record and became its youngest player to homer with the bases loaded as the Kia Tigers crushed the LG Twins 13-1 on October 20, 2026. The victory completed a three-game sweep, ended the defending champions' season and brought official baseball at Jamsil Baseball Stadium to a close.

Before a sellout crowd of 23,650 in Seoul, Kim's second-inning drive traveled 145 meters, according to the Korea Baseball Organization's final record. At 23 years and 18 days old, he also broke a postseason grand slam age record that had stood since 2001.

Kim finished the series with three home runs and eight runs batted in, collecting 84 of 97 votes for series MVP, or about 86.6 percent. Runs batted in, usually shortened to RBIs, credit a hitter for runs scored through his batting contribution.

Kia now faces the Samsung Lions in another series decided by the first team to win three games. The opener is scheduled for October 25 at 2 p.m. at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Three more wins would take the Tigers back to the Korean Series, the championship round they won in 2024.

The sweep brought Kia a practical reward as well as a place in the next round: four days of rest. Its pitchers can recover and its starting rotation can reset before facing a Samsung team that finished second in the regular season, 4.5 games ahead of the Tigers.

How the second inning broke the game open

Na Sung-bum started the decisive inning by driving a fastball from LG starter Carlos Carrasco nearly 132 meters to center field. The solo home run gave Kia a 1-0 lead, and a succession of mistakes and productive at-bats quickly made the situation worse for LG.

After one out, Han Jun-su reached on a fielding error, Kim Gyu-seong singled and Ha Ju-seok walked. With the bases loaded, Park Jung-woo singled to make it 2-0. Carrasco left after recording only four outs.

LG brought in Jon Kennedy, a pitcher who throws with his left hand, but Park Jae-hyun immediately singled through the left side of the infield. Another run scored, bringing Kim to the plate with Kia ahead 3-0 and the bases still full.

On a count of one ball and one strike, Kim connected with Kennedy's fastball, delivered at 144 kilometers per hour. The ball landed high in the stands beyond center field. A grand slam scores the batter and all three runners on base, so Kim's swing turned a three-run advantage into a 7-0 lead.

Kia had put seven batters who hit from the left side into its starting lineup against Carrasco, who throws with his right hand. Na and the two Parks supplied three scoring hits before Kim delivered the inning's biggest blow.

Two records and an MVP performance

The KBO recorded Kim's homer at 145 meters, tying the longest postseason home run since distance recordkeeping began in 2000. The matching mark belonged to Tyrone Woods in Game 6 of the 2001 Korean Series.

Kim also displaced former Doosan Bears star Kim Dong-joo as the youngest postseason grand slam hitter. Kim Dong-joo was 25 years, eight months and 22 days old when he hit his grand slam in 2001. Kim Do-yeong achieved the feat more than two years younger.

Kim had already shaped the series opener, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs in Kia's 5-1 victory. His Game 3 grand slam supplied his other four RBIs in the series. Across those two games, he drove in eight of Kia's 18 runs.

The performance followed a regular season in which Kim led the league with a career best 45 home runs. His two-run homer against LG on October 12 secured Kia's third seed, giving the Tigers a higher postseason position than the Twins.

Kim, the 2024 regular season MVP, described his responsibility during the series as producing in key situations while keeping his approach at the plate simple. After the grand slam, he thanked his coaches, said it was a home run the team needed and expressed his hope of continuing to play well enough to live up to the series award.

Shirakawa delivers a Japanese pitching first

Keisho Shirakawa gave Kia five innings with nine strikeouts, four hits allowed and one run charged against him. He issued no walks and hit no batters, becoming the first Japanese pitcher to win a KBO postseason game.

Shirakawa's strongest response came in the fifth inning. Moon Bo-gyeong opened with a single, but Shirakawa struck out the next three hitters. Moon Jeong-bin and Park Dong-won missed sliders, while Moon Sung-ju struck out on a forkball that dropped into the dirt.

The pitcher used 76 pitches: 36 four-seam fastballs, 17 sliders, 16 forkballs, four curveballs and three changeups. His fastball reached 153 kilometers per hour and averaged about 150, nearly four kilometers per hour faster than his regular season average.

Shirakawa returned for the sixth with a 9-0 lead but allowed a single and a double before leaving. Reliever Jung Hai-young allowed one of those runners to score on Austin Dean's groundout. Because Shirakawa had put the runner on base, the run was charged to him.

Kia manager Lee Bum-ho said he had been prepared to make an early pitching change if necessary, but Shirakawa gave him no reason to act during the opening innings.

"I was ready to pull him after the first couple of innings if he struggled, but he had great stuff today and did not look nervous at all," Lee said.

Kia's whole lineup contributes

Every Tigers starter recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run. Kia became only the fourth team to achieve that combination in a KBO postseason game, finishing with 16 hits to LG's eight.

Na hit another solo homer in the sixth inning, and Han added one in the seventh. Together with Kim's grand slam and Na's opening homer, Kia's four home runs produced seven of its 13 runs.

Park Jung-woo added an RBI single in the fifth. In the eighth, Han drew a walk with the bases loaded to force in a run, and Park Min doubled home two more. Kia continued scoring long after the seven-run second inning.

Lee credited the collective effort with making the task easier for his pitchers. The manager said the lineup's production came from players preparing carefully and staying focused.

"If only one player gets going, you can only score so much in baseball. But when everyone is chipping in, you can put up a bunch of runs on the board. And that can put pitchers in comfortable spots," Lee said.

Kia also stopped LG's best late opportunity in the seventh. With the bases loaded and two outs, first baseman Harold Castro made a diving stop on Park Hae-min's grounder and tossed to pitcher Lee Eui-lee covering first base to end the inning.

LG's title defense ends with a batting gap

LG was outscored 24-5 across the three games and hit one home run to Kia's seven. Those figures captured the central problem identified by Twins manager Yeom Kyeong-yeop: his team could not match the Tigers at the plate.

Yeom apologized for failing to meet supporters' expectations and said the club would begin addressing its weaknesses during offseason training. He pointed to the development of Song Chan-ui and Moon Jeong-bin as positives from the season, while calling for greater urgency and effort from individual players.

The elimination ended LG's attempt to retain the Korean Series title it won in 2025. The KBO's most recent consecutive championships remain Doosan's titles in 2015 and 2016.

LG had also attempted to defend a championship in 2024 after winning the 2023 Korean Series. That campaign ended in the round before the championship series. This time, a wild card victory over Doosan was followed by three straight defeats against Kia.

Jamsil's final official game

Jamsil Baseball Stadium opened in 1982 and has served as the shared home of the Twins and Doosan Bears. With LG eliminated, the October 20 game became the stadium's last official contest before its planned demolition after the season to make way for a new dome.

The venue had hosted some of LG's most celebrated moments. The Twins clinched the 2023 Korean Series there, ending a championship wait that stretched back to 1994. Their 2025 title was secured away from home, against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon.

The final game instead belonged to the visitors. A full house watched Kia build a seven-run lead in the second inning, and many LG supporters had left by the time the Tigers led 9-1 after six innings.

Samsung awaits, with four days to prepare

Samsung finished the regular season with 83 wins, 58 losses and three ties. The upcoming meeting revives the matchup from the 2024 Korean Series, when Kia beat the Lions in five games to win the championship.

Lee nevertheless described Samsung as the stronger opponent this time, pointing to its starting pitching and offense. He said Kia would approach the series aggressively and try to establish momentum early.

The sweep allows James Naile and Adam Oller to start the first two games on regular rest. For a team moving directly from one short series into another, avoiding Games 4 and 5 preserves both pitching options and recovery time.

Lee said the speed of the victory had exceeded his expectations and made preparation for Samsung more manageable.

I didn't think we would be able to sweep the Twins," Lee said. "These four days will be extremely valuable for us. Since we will be up against a really good team, we have to use this time wisely to get ready for a tough series.

The dates that shaped Kia's progress

Kim's decisive swings against LG stretched from the end of the regular season into the postseason. The next scheduled step takes Kia from Seoul to Daegu.

• October 12: Kim's two-run homer against LG secured Kia's third seed in the final regular season meeting between the teams.
• October 17: Kim hit two home runs and drove in four runs as Kia won the series opener 5-1.
• October 20: Kia won Game 3 by 13-1, completed the sweep and advanced behind Kim's grand slam and Shirakawa's nine strikeouts.
• October 25: Kia and Samsung begin their series at 2 p.m. at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

Kia enters that matchup with production throughout its batting order and time to prepare its leading starters. Samsung brings the better regular season record. The first team to three wins will earn a place in the Korean Series.

Key Points

• Kim Do-yeong won series MVP with 84 of 97 votes after recording three home runs and eight RBIs.
• His 145-meter grand slam tied the KBO postseason distance record kept since 2000.
• At 23 years and 18 days, Kim became the youngest KBO postseason grand slam hitter.
• Kia swept LG in three games, outscoring the defending champions 24-5.
• Keisho Shirakawa became the first Japanese pitcher to win a KBO postseason game.
• Jamsil's final official game ended in a 13-1 defeat for LG before planned demolition.
• Kia faces Samsung from October 25, with three wins needed to reach the Korean Series.