KBO Picks & Odds (October 3): KIA and Doosan Fight for Final Playoff Spot

•  KIA and Doosan are tied for the KBO’s final playoff spot with 14 games remaining
• The Bears pounded the Tigers 14-3 in the series opener on Friday
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on October 3rd in the article below

The top-three playoff teams in the KBO appear set, but there’s quite the battle going on for the fourth and fifth spot. Currently, LG holds down fourth place, a game and a half ahead of both Doosan and KIA.

The Bears and Tigers square off for the second straight day on Saturday at 1:00 am EST, with the defending champs looking to improve their record versus KIA to 11-3.

 KBO Odds: Saturday, October 3rd

Odds as of October 2nd at FanDuel.

Doosan snapped out of a mini two-game funk on Friday, pounding Hyun Jong Yang and the visiting Tigers 14-3. The Bears smacked 17 hits in their victory and get another favorable matchup versus a struggling Min Woo Lee.

Bears Flex on Tigers

Lee has pitched terribly in back-to-back outings, allowing 13 runs in just 4 total innings. Last time out versus Lotte, he lasted just 0.2 innings, surrendering seven runs and six hits in a blowout defeat. The 27-year-old has been off his game since early July, posing a 2-7 record and allowing at least four runs in all but three starts.

Doosan meanwhile, has beaten up on KIA all season, outscoring them by 28 runs over the course of 13 games. They’ll send right-hander Chris Flexen to the mound, who’s allowed two earned runs or less in five of his past six starts.

Meant to post yesterday, but here's a good look at why Chris Flexen has a 22% whiff% on his 4-seam (2nd) and 34% whiff% on his curveball (3rd). Hard to pick them up out of the hand when the fastball goes up and the curveball goes down #KBO #KBOLeague pic.twitter.com/bGmdibI5MI

— Ben Howell (he/him) (@benhowell71) September 17, 2020

KIA’s bats have been quiet lately, scoring three or fewer runs in six of its past seven games. You could lay Doosan -1.5 in this spot with heavy juice, but I prefer Over 9.5 instead. The Bears are going to pound Lee and even if the Tigers only manage to cross the plate two or three times, this game is still going to reach double-digit runs.

Pick: Over 9.5 (-128)

Kiwoom Crushes SK

Elsewhere in the KBO, third place Kiwoom finds itself in another favorable position versus SK. The Heroes crushed the Wyverns 12-5 on Friday, improving to 10-4 against them this season.

Heroes snap their losing streak with a big 12-5 win over the SK Wyverns to open the series. The big story? Heo Jeong-hyeop with THREE homers. The first Hero with a dinger hat trick this season, and just the 16-18th of his career.

— Kiwoom Heroes International (@kwheroesfan) October 2, 2020

SK will send Jong Hoon Park to the mound, who’s been a punching bag for KBO teams over the last five weeks. Park has allowed at least five runs in four his past seven starts, recording more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) in his last three outings.

Kiwoom will counter with Hyun Hee Han, who hasn’t allowed a run over his past three starts. Last time out, he held Doosan scoreless over 5.1 innings, and in his two previous outings he shutout KIA and Lotte.

Han Hyun-hee, Filthy Slider…and KO. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/QDDWvLMkQV

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 19, 2020

The 27-year-old is one of the league’s hottest pitchers, surrendering two or fewer runs in five of his past six outings. The last time he faced the Wyverns, he completely stymied them. Han held SK to one run and four hits over 6.2 innings en route to a 4-1 victory. I’m banking on his red-hot form continuing and the Heroes getting another much needed win.

Pick: Kiwoom Heroes moneyline (-146)