How did Kim Do-yeong help the Kia Tigers beat the LG Twins in Game 1?

Kim Do-yeong hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, a two-run home run in the eighth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth. He drove in four of Kia’s five runs in the 5-1 victory.

Why did LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb say the team lost Game 1?

Youm said LG pitchers failed to locate their pitches, allowing Kim Do-yeong to hit mistakes that were not easy pitches to drive out. He also said the Twins failed to score with runners in scoring position.

What is the score and format of the Kia Tigers-LG Twins postseason series?

Kia won the opening game 5-1 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five KBO postseason series.

Tigers manager marvels at All-Star slugger: 'He knows how to hit home runs'

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Summary

Kim Do-yeong hit two home runs and drove in four runs as the Kia Tigers defeated the LG Twins 5-1 in Game 1 of their best-of-five KBO postseason series in Gwangju Saturday. His solo homer broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning, and his two-run shot extended the lead in the eighth. Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho praised Kim’s ability to change games, while LG manager Youm Kyoung-youb said his pitchers failed to locate their pitches.

Key Facts

Kim Do-yeong led the KBO with 45 home runs during the regular season.
Kim added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning of Game 1.
The Tigers played the opening game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.
LG manager Youm Kyoung-youb said the Twins failed to capitalize on opportunities with runners in scoring position.
The best-of-five series opened with Kia holding a 1-0 lead.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 17, 2026 6:48 pm KST

Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho, left, high-fives his player Kim Do-yeong after the Tigers' 5-1 win over the LG Twins in Game 1 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Saturday. Yonhap

GWANGJU — Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho allowed himself to be a fan for a moment Saturday, when his MVP-winning slugger Kim Do-yeong hammered two home runs in the team's opening victory over the LG Twins in their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series.

Kim drove in four runs as the Tigers prevailed 5-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-five series at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Kim's solo shot broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning, and his two-run bomb extended the Tigers' lead to 5-1 in the bottom eighth. In between, Kim delivered a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

"What else can I say? He is incredible," Lee said of Kim, who led the KBO with 45 home runs in the regular season. "He knows how to hit home runs. I think this victory showed how Kim Do-yeong can singlehandedly change the complexion of a game. The first game in any postseason series is always important and I am quite satisfied with the way we performed today as a team."

Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb, who had said before the series that keeping Kim in check was the key for his team, conceded defeat.

"We had done our homework against him but our pitchers just failed to locate their pitches," Youm said. "And Kim Do-yeong did not miss on those mistakes. And those were not easy pitches to hit homers off, and Do-yeong still went deep. He is a great player and I tip my cap to him."

Youm rued a few missed opportunities to cash in on runners aboard, including in the sixth inning when they had two runners on with nobody out and the heart of the order coming up.

"Our big bats had a few at-bats with runners in scoring position and we just didn't capitalize on them," he said. "That is just how baseball goes sometimes. If you don't score when you are supposed to, then you concede the momentum to the other team."

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