On a brisk evening at Changwon NC Park, the 2026 KBO League delivered an electrifying spectacle as the Doosan Bears clawed back from a daunting deficit to topple the NC Dinos 9-6, marking a memorable first win for new manager Kim Won-hyung. The March 29 clash, the second game of the league’s opening series, had fans on the edge of their seats, as the Bears overcame early struggles to stage a dramatic late-inning comeback powered by a barrage of home runs.
The contest began as a classic pitcher’s duel. Doosan’s starter, Kwak Bin, and NC’s Curtis Taylor traded zeros through the first three frames, each showing off their arsenal and keeping hitters off balance. Taylor, making his home debut for the Dinos, struck out six over five innings, allowing just two runs and four hits. Kwak Bin, meanwhile, flashed a blazing fastball—topping out at 157 km/h—and punched out five, but his night took a turn for the worse in the fourth.
The bottom of the fourth saw the Dinos break the deadlock in emphatic fashion. Park Min-woo ignited the rally with a leadoff double, then promptly stole third base. Matt Davidson’s groundout brought Park home for the game’s first run. The Bears’ ace then faltered: Park Gun-woo launched a solo shot to left, and after a single by Kim Hwi-jip, Kim Hyung-jun crushed a towering two-run homer—his first of the season—over the left field wall. In a flash, Doosan faced a 4-0 hole, and Kwak Bin was pulled after four innings, having surrendered five hits, two walks, four runs, and two home runs.
Doosan’s offense, which had been stymied for 15 consecutive innings dating back to the opening game, finally came alive in the sixth. Park Chan-ho drew a walk and swiped second, advancing to third on a wild pitch. Jung Soo-bin delivered an RBI single to left, breaking the Bears’ scoring drought. Jung then stole second, and Kang Seung-ho followed with another clutch single, narrowing the deficit to 4-2 and chasing Taylor from the mound. However, the Dinos immediately responded in the bottom half: after a walk and a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch allowed Chun Jae-hwan to score, restoring a three-run cushion at 5-2.
The seventh inning added more fuel to the fire. Doosan’s An Jae-seok singled, setting the stage for Yang Seok-hwan, who crushed a 125-meter, two-run bomb to left-center—his first of the season—bringing the Bears within one at 5-4. NC wasn’t done, though; Matt Davidson doubled, rookie Heo Yoon stole third as a pinch runner, and Kim Hwi-jip plated the insurance run with a single, making it 6-4 as the game barreled toward its climax.
But if the Dinos thought they had weathered the storm, they were mistaken. The eighth inning belonged to Doosan, and it was nothing short of a slugfest. Kang Seung-ho worked a leadoff walk, and with one out, manager Kim Won-hyung rolled the dice, sending up Daz Cameron as a pinch hitter despite his recent hamstring scare. The gamble paid off spectacularly. Cameron battled to a full count before launching a game-tying, two-run homer to left—his first in the KBO. The Bears’ dugout erupted, and the momentum had shifted decisively.
The onslaught continued. An Jae-seok doubled, and Yang Seok-hwan was intentionally walked, putting two aboard for Kim Min-seok, a recent high-profile trade acquisition. Kim didn’t disappoint, turning on a 138 km/h slider from Son Joo-hwan and sending it soaring over the right-center fence for a three-run blast. The Bears had turned a two-run deficit into a 9-6 lead in the blink of an eye. Kim’s home run, his first of the season, was the exclamation point on a seven-run outburst spanning just two innings.
Doosan’s bullpen, which had been shaky at times, locked things down when it mattered most. Tamura picked up his first win of the year, and closer Kim Taek-yeon was flawless over 1⅓ innings, recording two strikeouts in the ninth and earning his first save of the season. The Bears fended off a late threat in the eighth, stranding NC runners at the corners, as Kim Taek-yeon induced a groundout from Oh Young-soo to end the inning.
For NC, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Despite early fireworks from Park Gun-woo and Kim Hyung-jun, and a strong start from Taylor, the bullpen faltered under pressure. Managerial decisions and late-inning execution proved costly, as the Dinos dropped to 1-1 on the season alongside Doosan.
Manager Kim Won-hyung, in just his second game at the Bears’ helm, couldn’t have scripted a more thrilling debut victory. The Bears’ resilience and power display—home runs from Yang Seok-hwan, Daz Cameron, and Kim Min-seok—sent a message to the league that this squad is never out of a game. After the final out, the Bears’ players celebrated exuberantly on the field, their spirits buoyed by overcoming both an early deficit and the sting of a shutout loss in the opener.
Looking ahead, Doosan will travel to Daegu for a three-game set against the Samsung Lions starting March 31, while NC remains at home to host the Lotte Giants. Both teams now stand at 1-1, but the Bears carry the momentum—and a new sense of belief—into the next series.
If this game is any indication, the 2026 KBO season promises plenty of drama, power, and late-inning heroics. Fans won’t want to miss what comes next.