Despite a "Direct 3rd-Place Finish," KIA's Semifinal Record Is 2 Wins, 9 Losses; Game 1 vs. LG on the 17th
KIA will play LG in Game 1 of the semifinals in Gwangju on the 17th. Despite finishing 3rd in the regular season and earning a direct berth, its all-time semifinal record is 2 wins and 9 losses, and it has never advanced through a series.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
2 p.m. on the 17th, Gwangju. Game 1 of the 2026 KBO Semifinals gets underway. The 3rd-place KIA waited at home, while 4th-place LG came up after winning its wild-card playoff three days earlier. But flip through KIA's record book and the mood changes: this is a team that has never once made it through a semifinal series.
KIA semifinal record: 2 wins, 9 losses. Four appearances, four eliminations.
KBO 2024 Yearbook Adding up the all-time semifinal results on page 418 of the yearbook, KIA's record is 2 wins, 9 losses. This includes the Haitai era. With 2 wins in 11 games, their game win rate is just 0.182 (2÷11). Looking at it by series is even harsher: they made the semifinals four times and were eliminated all four times.
Their elimination history begins with a 0-2 loss to Hanwha as the Haitai Tigers in 1994. They went down 0-2 to Doosan in 2004, 1-2 to Hanwha in 2006, and 1-3 to SK in 2011. Cross-checking the Seoul Shinmun report with the yearbook, the last semifinal was in 2011.
| Year | Team | Opponent | Record | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Haitai | Hanwha | 0-2 | Eliminated |
| 2004 | KIA | Doosan | 0-2 | Eliminated |
| 2006 | KIA | Hanwha | 1-2 | Eliminated |
| 2011 | KIA | SK | 1-3 | Eliminated |
| Total | — | — | 2-9 | Advanced 0 times |
KIA vs. LG, 2002 PO: 2 wins, 3 losses, a different stage 24 years ago
The word 'jinx' needs precise usage. It doesn't mean KIA has never set foot in a playoff stage. It means they have never gotten past the semifinal hurdle. According to the KBO Yearbook, KIA lost to LG 2-3 in the 2002 playoffs. So the accurate phrasing is not '0 PO appearances' but '0 semifinal advancements' is the correct expression.
From 2002 to this year is 24 years. That's the backdrop for the phrase 'a nightmare against LG from 24 years ago.' However, that was a playoff and this is a semifinal. Stitching the two series together into one line of wins and losses distorts the record. 'A nightmare repeating' is only a historical comparison, not verified grounds for predicting this game's result.
Regular-season standings: KIA 3rd, LG 4th, 1.5 games behind
According to Money Today and the official KBO standings (as of 20:00 on October 16, 2026) show KIA at 79 wins, 2 draws, 63 losses, a .556 winning percentage, in 3rd place. LG is 78-1-65, a .545 winning percentage, directly below in 4th. In games-behind terms, it's 1.5 games. It's the sum of the win gap (1) and loss gap (2), divided by 2.
1st-place KT finished with 90 wins, 12.5 games ahead of KIA, and the gap between 2nd-place Samsung and KIA is 4.5 games. KIA finished the season 4.5 games behind the team above and 1.5 games ahead of the team below. Those 1.5 games decided the direct berth versus the wild-card playoff.
| Rank | Team | W-D-L | Pct. | GB vs. KIA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KT | 90-5-49 | 0.647 | 12.5 games ahead | Regular-season 1st place |
| 2 | Samsung | 83-3-58 | 0.589 | 4.5 games ahead | Directly above KIA |
| 3 | KIA | 79-2-63 | 0.556 | — | Direct to semifinals |
| 4 | LG | 78-1-65 | 0.545 | 1.5 games behind | Advanced via wild-card playoff |
| 5 | Doosan | 73-5-66 | 0.525 | 4.5 games behind | Eliminated in wild-card playoff |
Semifinal schedule: the 17th, 2 p.m., Gwangju; injuries and bullpen status unconfirmed
The matchup was officially announced by the KBO on the 14th. Game 1 is on the 17th at 2 p.m. in Gwangju. LG advanced by beating Doosan 4-1 in Game 1 of the wild-card playoff that day. Per E-Today report and the KBO website's game article show the same score. The schedule after Game 2 and ticketing method were not confirmed in this reporting.
Injuries and bullpen status, often cited as key variables in short series, could not be confirmed with official data in this reporting. Two points to watch are confirmed. One is whether KIA will end its record of losing every semifinal series for the first time. The other is the matchup of a 3rd-place team that went straight to the semifinals against a 4th-place team that came through the wild-card round.
The figures in this article are as of 01:40 on October 17, 2026, before the game starts. The 2-9 record includes the Haitai era, and Game 1's result should be re-checked against the official KBO announcement. KIA is challenging for its first semifinal advancement in this series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is KIA's semifinal record?
According to the KBO 2024 Yearbook, including the Haitai era, it's 2 wins and 9 losses. KIA reached the semifinals four times, in 1994, 2004, 2006, and 2011, and was eliminated each time.
Q. When and where is Game 1 of the KIA vs. LG semifinals?
According to the KBO announcement, it will be held at 2 p.m. on October 17, 2026, in Gwangju. Later game schedules can be checked on the KBO official schedule page.
Q. Has KIA never reached the playoffs?
No. According to the KBO Yearbook, KIA lost 2-3 to LG in the 2002 playoffs. The accurate phrasing is '0 semifinal advancements,' not '0 PO appearances.'
Related official sites
- KBO official website — Check the final 2026 regular-season team standings
- KBO official game schedule and results — Check semifinal schedule and results
- KIA Tigers official website — Team news and home game information
- KBO 2024 Official Yearbook — Original all-time semifinal series records
Representative image · Archive photo · Not an on-site photo of the current game in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Pioneerhj), CC BY-SA 3.0
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