Landers, Wiz to face off in first-ever fifth-place tiebreaker for final playoff spot

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Landers, Wiz to face off in first-ever fifth-place tiebreaker for final playoff spot

Published: 01 Oct. 2024, 10:05 Updated: 01 Oct. 2024, 15:52

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

JIM BULLEY
jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr

The SSG Landers celebrate during the KBO game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Monday. [NEWS1]

The SSG Landers won their final 2024 KBO regular season game against the Kiwoom Heroes 7-2 on Monday, tying for fifth place with the KT Wiz. This forces a head-to-head tiebreaker on Tuesday between the Landers and Wiz for the final postseason spot.

Both the Landers and Wiz finished the regular season with 72 wins, 70 losses and two ties, marking the KBO’s first-ever fifth-place tiebreaker, set for Tuesday evening at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

If the Wiz win the tiebreaker, they will face the fourth-placed Doosan Bears in the Wildcard game on Wednesday. The Wildcard series is technically a best-of-three, but can only be played over a maximum of two games since the fourth-place finisher starts with a one-game advantage.

Four teams have already secured playoff spots this year — regular season champions Kia Tigers, Samsung Lions, LG Twins and the Bears.

In the KBO, the top five teams advance to the postseason in a ladder format, with higher-ranked teams earning automatic byes to enter the competition at later stages.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN, JIM BULLEY [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]