KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho is weighing whether Adam Oller makes his final regular-season start against Lotte or LG, with the decision tied to results from the team's preceding games.
The club is also preparing a fan appreciation event for its October 12 home finale against the LG Twins in Gwangju.
KIA's four-game closing stretch runs from an October 9 matchup against NC in Changwon through games against SSG and Lotte in Gwangju before the LG finale.
The team is considering several scenarios based on its own results and LG's two-game series against Lotte at Sajik Stadium on October 9 and 10.
Oller's Last Outing and the Push for Third
Oller last pitched against LG at Jamsil on October 5, allowing four earned runs over six innings.
After surrendering four runs in the first inning, he held LG scoreless for the next five innings, helping KIA remain in contention before Kim Do-yeong hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning.
KIA completed a sweep of LG and moved into third place.
Lee described the immediate challenge as a must-win sequence, with the team's approach shaped by the possibility that LG could win both of its games against Lotte.
"If we must beat Lotte to have the final showdown..." Lee Beom-ho, manager of the KIA Tigers, said.
Lee said KIA would approach its remaining games with the assumption that LG wins both contests against Lotte.
The results against NC and SSG will determine whether the October 11 game against Lotte remains necessary to preserve a chance of competing directly with LG for third place.
"I will assume today is the final game. I will prepare assuming LG wins two games.
(Through the 11th) Even if we win three straight, it doesn't matter. Whether it's 2-1 or three straight, we have to go to the final game anyway.
We must win somehow and will operate as if we're going to the end," Lee said.
Lee identified the NC game on October 9 and the SSG game on October 10 as the immediate factors in deciding Oller's deployment.
If KIA splits those two games, the manager plans to prioritize the Lotte matchup and use Oller if doing so keeps the final showdown with LG within reach.
"The biggest variables are the results of the NC game today and the SSG game on the 10th.
If we go 1-1 in those two games, we must go all in for the Lotte game on the 11th.
If putting Oller in gives us the chance for the final showdown, I will use him in the Lotte game.
If we win, Yang Hyeon-jong will be the starter in the LG game and all pitchers will be kept on standby," Lee said.
Oller could instead be held back for LG if KIA and its rival each win their first two games in the closing stretch, leaving the Lotte contest without a decisive effect on the final matchup.
If KIA loses both its NC and SSG games, the team would be locked into fourth place and would prepare for the wild-card series, according to the report.
"If LG and we each win two straight today and tomorrow, the Lotte game is meaningless. Then Oller would have to go in the final game against LG.
I'm thinking about many things. First, we need to see what happens between LG and us today and tomorrow.
For now, we're preparing with the mindset of winning every game. Each day is tight," Lee said.
Oller's schedule also affects KIA's other starting pitchers.
James Naylor is scheduled to face NC on October 9, while Shirakawa and Kim Tae-hyoung could start against SSG and Lotte if Oller is reserved for LG.
The team must also consider the possibility of entering the wild-card series against fifth-place Doosan, where the report identifies Kwak Bin and 14-win pitcher Choi Minseok as potential challenges.
Fan Appreciation Event Set for Home Finale
Separately, KIA announced on October 9 that it will stage a fan appreciation event titled "V13urning up(2026 HOME FINALE)" during the October 12 game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.
The club said the event recognizes three consecutive seasons with more than 1 million spectators and celebrates supporters' contributions throughout the season.
The home-finale program will include cheering performances and activities marking the 10th anniversary of cheerleader leader Seo Han-guk.
A coffee truck will serve the first 300 people at the promotional booth near the main entrance, and every spectator entering the stadium will receive a cheering towel designed with the Hunminjeongeum typeface.
Some tickets will also feature randomly printed home-finale designs.
Seo Han-guk will throw the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
Reflecting on the occasion, the cheerleader leader said: "I am honored and happy to be able to cheer passionately with Tigers fans.
I will stand with the Tigers fans who support the team anytime, anywhere, until the end.
I also thank the club for giving me memories I will never forget in my life."
After the game, KIA will hold a postseason send-off ceremony featuring a season highlights video, the unveiling of the postseason emblem and messages of appreciation from players.
The Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra will perform the team's cheering song in a traditional Korean music arrangement titled "Oechyeora choegang Kia," followed by a postgame celebration with a DJ.
