‘Austin’s two-run homer and Shin Min-jae’s clinching squeeze bunt’ lift LG past Doosan into the semi-playoffs, where they will face KIA

[Financial News] The LG Twins beat their Jamsil rivals, the Doosan Bears, to advance to the semi-playoffs, a best-of-five series.
Fourth-place LG beat fifth-place Doosan 4-1 in Game 1 of the ‘2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason’ wild card decider on the 14th at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, powered by Austin Dean’s go-ahead two-run homer and a strong outing from starter Carlos Carrasco.
With the win, LG wrapped up the wild card decider in a single game and advanced to the semi-playoffs, where third-place KIA Tigers await. Game 1 of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 17th at Gwangju Kia Champions Field. Doosan, meanwhile, had hoped to extend its postseason run at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which is set to be demolished after this year, but saw its 2026 season end after just one game.


The game was decided in the first inning. In the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki reached base after being hit by a pitch. Austin then jumped on a high 128-km/h curveball from Doosan ace Kwak Bin and sent it soaring over the left-field wall for a two-run homer—the first home run of this postseason—to give LG the early advantage.
Carrasco’s experience shone on the mound. The MLB veteran, with 112 career wins in Major League Baseball, held Doosan’s lineup to four hits, one walk, three strikeouts and one run over six innings. Kwak Bin, meanwhile, who led the league in both ERA and strikeouts this season, struck out 10 over six innings in a dominant performance but could not overcome the first-inning homer and took the loss after allowing two runs.


After being held quiet, Doosan mounted a rally in the top of the seventh. Consecutive singles by Severino and Yang Eui-ji put runners on second and third with no outs, and a hit-by-pitch to Kang Seung-ho loaded the bases with one out. Pinch hitter Yang Suk-hwan sent a deep fly toward center, but LG center fielder Park Hae-min sprinted to make an outstanding catch, limiting the damage to a sacrifice fly and one RBI and averting a big inning.
LG, clinging to a razor-thin lead, put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth. With one out and runners on first and third, Shin Min-jae laid down a perfectly placed safety squeeze bunt toward third to add a run. A costly wild pitch by Doosan pitcher Lee Young-ha in the ensuing sequence brought in another, extending LG’s lead to 4-1.
In the top of the ninth, closer Kim Kang-ryul retired the side in order to secure LG’s first win of the 2026 postseason. Austin, whose hit proved decisive, took home both the Daily MVP award and the ‘Hitting Feel of the Day’ award.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter