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KBO's top pitching staff to take on most lethal lineup in postseason

Published: 15 Oct. 2025, 11:56

Hanwha Eagles starter Cody Ponce celebrates after completing the bottom of the fifth inning against the SSG Landers in the clubs' KBO regular-season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Oct. 1. [YONHAP]

The next series in the KBO postseason will be a battle between the team with the pitching staff and the team with the most powerful lineup.

The Hanwha Eagles rode their superb pitching to the second-best record in the regular season at 83-57-4 (wins-losses-ties), earning themselves a bye to the second round of the postseason. They had the lowest team ERA at 3.55 and struck out the most batters with 1,339.

They will take on the Samsung Lions, who finished fourth at 74-68-2, and knocked off fifth-seed NC Dinos in the wild card round before eliminating No. 3 seed SSG Landers in four games in the best-of-five first round. The Lions topped the league with 161 home runs and a .780 on-base plus slugging during the regular season.

The second round, also a best-of-five series, begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon. It will be the first postseason game in Daejeon since 2018 and also the first one at this stadium, which opened this year. The winner will go on to meet the regular-season champions LG Twins in the Korean Series.

The Lions' 5-2, series-clinching victory over the Landers on Tuesday offered a glimpse into what made them so frightening to opposing pitchers all season.

With two outs in the bottom eighth and the score even at 2-2, Lewin Diaz, who led the KBO with 50 home runs and 158 RBIs in the regular season, launched a two-run home run off Lee Ro-un, one of the league's top setup men this year, for a 4-2 lead.

Lee Jae-hyeon went back-to-back on the very next pitch, flashing the power potential that has seen him increase his home run totals and slugging percentage every year since his debut in 2022.

Lewin Diaz of the Samsung Lions celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the SSG Landers during Game 4 of the first-round series in the KBO postseason at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Oct. 14. [NEWS1]

The Eagles will try to neutralize the Lions with the most devastating one-two rotation punch in the KBO: Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss.

Ponce claimed the Triple Crown in his first KBO season by leading the league with 17 wins, a 1.89 ERA and a new league-record 252 strikeouts.

Weiss, who would be No. 1 starter on most other KBO teams, went 16-5 while finishing sixth with a 2.87 ERA and fourth with 207 strikeouts. Ponce and Weiss are the first pair of teammates to each record 200 strikeouts in a KBO season.

Ponce tossed six shutout innings and struck out eight in his only start against the Lions on July 30. Weiss, however, had some trouble against the Lions, going 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA in 26 2/3 innings while serving up four homers -- more than against any other opponent.

Beyond the two American pitchers, right-hander Moon Dong-ju is another solid starter. He won all three starts against the Lions and had a 2.50 ERA, while recording 21 strikeouts against five walks in 18 innings.

Hanwha Eagles closer Kim Seo-hyeon pitches against the LG Twins during the clubs' KBO regular-season game at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in the central city of Daejeon on Sept. 29. [YONHAP]

The Eagles franchise icon and former National League All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin will get his first taste of KBO postseason since 2007 and gives his team an enviable starting pitching depth.

The Eagles' bullpen was among the best in the league, but closer Kim Seo-hyeon blew saves in some spectacular fashion down the stretch. The 21-year-old had a sparkling 1.55 ERA in the first half but an ugly 5.68 ERA in the second half.

By earning the bye to this stage, the Eagles will play for the first time in 14 days when this series opens. They have had enough time to let their pitchers rest and reset their rotation as they see fit.

The Lions have been playing high-stakes ball for 10 days now, but their pitchers have been rounding into form.

Against the Landers, all four starters — Gerson Garabito, Choi Won-tae, Won Tae-in and Ariel Jurado — pitched at least six innings. And their oft-maligned bullpen got some big outs, with the teen fireballer Bae Chan-seung and the 21-year-old righty Lee Ho-sung thriving in high-leverage situations.

The Lions will have only two days off before the next series.

Yonhap