LG Twins players celebrate their 5-0 win over the Samsung Lions in the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, Sunday. Yonhap

The LG Twins and the Hanwha Eagles, the two contestants of the 2025 Korean Series, will have their first clash of the 2026 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season this week in Seoul, with the rivals moving in different directions in the early going.

The three-game series between these two clubs will commence Tuesday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. The Twins, the defending champions, sit only a half game out of first place with a 12-6-0 (wins-losses-ties) record, and they have won eight of their past 10 games. The Eagles, who fell short of their first title since 1999, are riding a mini two-game winning streak but had dropped six consecutive games before that. They are tied for sixth place at 8-10-0.

These two teams have been winning games in contrasting style. The Twins boast the lowest team ERA at 3.60 and have allowed the fewest walks with 59. While their offensive production has been below league average, the Twins' pitching has been carrying the load.

The Eagles have been trying to outscore their pitching woes. They rank second in the KBO in both batting average (.282), runs (111) and hits (185). But their pitching staff has the league's worst ERA (5.63) and has surrendered the most walks (102).

Hanwha Eagles players acknowledge their fans after defeating the Lotte Giants 9-1 in the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan, Sunday. Courtesy of Hanwha Eagles

In a particularly ugly game last Tuesday against the Samsung Lions, the Eagles set a KBO record for the most walks and hit-by-pitches allowed by a team in a game with 18.

The Twins gave up 17 walks and hit-by-pitches in five games combined last week.

For the weekend series beginning Friday, the Twins will stay at Jamsil for a three-game set against their co-tenants, the Doosan Bears (7-11-1). The Eagles will return home in the central city of Daejeon for a meeting with the NC Dinos (8-10-0).

Elsewhere in the KBO, the two clubs tied for first place, the Samsung Lions and the KT Wiz, will each begin the new week at home.

Source: Korea Times News