The 2025 KBO League regular season has delivered plenty of twists, but few stories have matched the drama and excitement of NC Dinos’ late surge and the shifting fortunes of the league’s top rookies and veteran pitchers. As the dust settles after the final games, fans are buzzing about record-breaking streaks, playoff clinchers, and the emergence of new stars—while some established names face questions about their future.
At the heart of the action, the NC Dinos capped off their regular season with a thunderous 7-1 victory over SSG Landers at Changwon NC Park on October 4. The win didn’t just extend NC’s winning streak to a stunning nine games—it also secured them the fifth and final playoff spot, locking out the KT Wiz and sending the Dinos back to the postseason for the first time since 2023. With a final record of 71 wins, 6 draws, and 67 losses, the Dinos’ climb was nothing short of remarkable, especially considering the razor-thin margin by which they edged out KT Wiz, who finished 71-5-68.
It was a night to remember for NC fans, who watched their team seize control early and never look back. In the first inning, Kim Ju-won’s single and Choi Won-jun’s walk set the table for Park Geon-woo, whose base hit brought home the opening run. But the real fireworks came in the second inning, when Kim Hwi-jip launched a towering three-run homer, measured at 125 meters, off SSG’s starter Kim Kwang-hyun. That shot sent the home crowd into a frenzy and pushed the score to 4-0, giving NC all the momentum they’d need.
The Dinos kept the pressure on, tacking on two more runs in the third with doubles from Matt Davidson and Lee Woo-seong, plus a timely single from Seo Ho-cheol. By the fifth, Davidson and Lee Woo-seong struck again, stretching the lead to 7-0 and all but sealing the result. On the mound, Riley Thompson was masterful, tossing 5⅓ innings of five-hit, one-run ball with seven strikeouts. Thompson’s outing gave him his 17th win of the season, tying him with Hanwha Eagles’ Cody Ponce for the KBO’s wins lead—a testament to both his consistency and the Dinos’ late-season surge.
“We knew what was at stake, and everyone stepped up,” said Thompson after the game, according to team sources. “It’s been a wild ride, but we’re not done yet.”
With the win, NC now prepares for a wild card showdown with the Samsung Lions, who finished fourth at 74-68-2. The series, set to begin on October 6 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, heavily favors Samsung under KBO rules: the fourth-place team advances with a win or draw in Game 1, while fifth-place NC must win two straight to move on. The Dinos’ recent form, though, suggests they’re more than capable of pulling off another upset.
Elsewhere, the playoff picture saw more drama. The KIA Tigers, despite being locked into eighth place, delivered a thrilling 9-8 walk-off win over Samsung in Gwangju. Down 8-5 after a rough start, KIA rallied in the bottom of the ninth with a walk, two singles, and a sacrifice fly from Kim Kyu-seong to clinch victory. For Samsung, the loss was a stinger, but the team will look to regroup ahead of their wild card test against NC.
While the playoff races captured headlines, the season’s end also brought renewed focus to the league’s standout rookies and recent trades. KT Wiz’s Ahn Hyun-min, a second-year outfielder who debuted in 2022, has emerged as a leading Rookie of the Year candidate after a breakout campaign. Despite a rocky start last year—he hit just .200 in 16 games—Ahn transformed into a linchpin for KT’s offense in 2025. Across 112 games, he posted a stellar .334 batting average, 22 home runs, 80 RBIs, 72 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.018. That’s not all: Ahn led the league in on-base percentage and finished second in batting average, cementing his status as a rookie sensation.
“It’s been a tough journey, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to help my team,” Ahn said earlier this month. His season wasn’t without adversity—he battled through an elbow injury in September and saw his average dip to .234 at one point—but he rebounded in September with a .296 average, four homers, and 11 RBIs in 15 games. Ahn’s perseverance has made him the favorite in a hotly contested Rookie of the Year race.
His main competition? LG Twins’ Song Seung-gi, a pitcher who quietly built a strong case of his own. After limited appearances in 2022 and 2023, Song returned from military service and seized a spot in LG’s rotation. This year, he logged 144 innings over 28 games, notching an 11-6 record with a 3.50 ERA and helping LG secure the regular season crown. Song’s journey from fringe prospect to rotation mainstay has drawn praise from teammates and coaches alike, and his 11 wins put him among the league’s top rookie arms.
Other young pitchers made their mark as well. Oh Won-seok, traded from SSG Landers to KT Wiz last October, delivered his best season yet—posting an 11-8 record, 3.67 ERA, and racking up 132⅓ innings in 25 starts. Oh was the only domestic pitcher to reach double-digit wins in the first half, and his performance helped stabilize KT’s staff after a tumultuous offseason. Meanwhile, Kim Min-do, who went to SSG in the same trade, became a bullpen workhorse, appearing in 70 games with a 2.97 ERA, five wins, and 22 holds. Both players played crucial roles in their teams’ playoff chases.
Not all veterans fared as well. Hanwha Eagles’ Eom Sang-baek, a high-profile free agent signing, struggled mightily—going 2-7 with a 6.58 ERA in 28 games before moving from the rotation to the bullpen. Samsung’s Choi Won-tae, another big-ticket addition, finished 8-7 with a 4.92 ERA and failed to meet lofty expectations, especially after a rough August and a move to a relief role in September. Injuries and inconsistency plagued both, raising questions about their roles moving forward.
As the regular season fades into memory, the focus now shifts to the postseason battles ahead—and the individual awards that will soon be handed out. NC Dinos, riding high on a nine-game winning streak, look to keep their magic alive against Samsung, while KT’s Ahn Hyun-min and LG’s Song Seung-gi await Rookie of the Year honors. With so many storylines still in play, KBO fans have plenty to cheer for as October baseball heats up.
One thing’s for sure: whether it’s dramatic home runs, clutch pitching, or the rise of new stars, the 2025 KBO season is leaving fans breathless—and the best may be yet to come.