Hanwha Eagles vs KIA Tigers

Kim Do-yeong broke the game open in the top of the seventh. After Park Jae-hyun led off with a right-field double off Hanwha reliever Lee Sang-gyu, Kim followed two outs later with a towering 125-metre solo home run to left field — his 36th blast of 2026 — on a 134 km/h cutter. The homer extended KIA's lead to 4-2 and extended Kim's lead atop the KBO home run rankings to four over LG's Austin Dean (32).

Hanwha mounted one final charge. They pushed across a run in the late innings — likely the eighth or ninth — to make it 4-3, but KIA's bullpen held firm to seal the one-run victory.

Kim Do-yeong (KIA Tigers) — The 23-year-old superstar delivered the decisive blow with his 36th home run, continuing his MVP-calibre season. Kim entered the game batting .296 with 89 RBIs and now sits on 36 homers with 39 stolen bases, keeping alive the prospect of KBO's first domestic 40-40 season.

James Naile (KIA Tigers) — The right-hander worked seven strong innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking none. Naile improved his season record to 8-5 with a 3.78 ERA, showing the composure to escape a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth after Kang's home run threatened to shift momentum.

Kang Baek-ho (Hanwha Eagles) — The Hanwha slugger went 2-for-4 with a double in the first inning and a colossal 26th home run in the sixth. His monster shot over the Monster Wall was the highlight of the night for the home crowd, but his teammates could not capitalise on the momentum.

Choi In-ho (Hanwha Eagles) — The leadoff man launched his second homer of the season to open the scoring in the first, marking the first leadoff home run of his KBO career.

Kim Do-yeong's 36 home runs lead the KBO by four over LG's Austin Dean (32), while his 39 stolen bases put him on pace for a historic 40-40 campaign — something no domestic KBO player has ever achieved. Naile's seven innings of work marked his 14th quality start of the season (seven innings or more with three earned runs or fewer), tying him for the league lead in that category. Wang Yen-Cheng took a no-decision after allowing three runs over five innings, his ERA rising slightly to 3.47.

KIA improved to 57-48-2, strengthening their hold on fourth place in KBO and pulling within a half-game of third-place LG Twins. Hanwha fell to 48-54-3, their fourth straight loss pushing them further back in the race for a postseason berth. The season series between the two clubs now stands at 7-6 in KIA's favour with three games remaining in the regular-season match-up — the final two of this three-game series on August 19-20.

A taut, well-pitched contest decided by one swing from KBO's most dangerous hitter. Naile's ability to escape the sixth-inning jam was the unsung difference, but Kim Do-yeong's 36th homer was the moment that defined the night. Hanwha's offence showed fight but ran out of answers against KIA's bullpen.

Player of the Match: Kim Do-yeong (KIA Tigers)