The Kia Tigers clinched the best record in the 2024 regular season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Tuesday, earning a direct ticket to the Korean Series. The Tigers locked down the top spot despite losing to the SSG Landers 2-0 at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul. That's because second-place Samsung Lions lost their game against the Doosan Bears 8-4 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the capital city. The Tigers are now 83-52-2 (wins-losses-ties) with seven games left, and the Lions are 75-60-2, also with seven games remaining. The Lions won't catch the Tigers even if they win out and the Tigers lose all their remaining games. In the KBO, the club with the best record in the regular season secures a bye to the Korean Series. This will be the Tigers' 12th appearance in the KBO championship series. The Tigers are a perfect 11-for-11 in the Korean Series so far. No KBO club has won more championships. The Tigers' last title came in 2017, a year in which they also had the best regu lar-season record. In Korean Series history, No. 1 seeds have captured the title about 85 percent of the time. In the Korean Series, the Tigers will meet the winner of the penultimate round of the postseason. They will have about three weeks off between the end of the regular season and Game 1 of the best-of-seven Korean Series. The Tigers went through some turbulent times even before the season began, as manager Kim Jong-kook was fired in late January while embroiled in a bribery scandal. They promoted hitting coach Lee Bum-ho as their new manager, making him the youngest skipper in the KBO this year at 42. Despite having no prior managerial experience, Lee, a well-respected slugger from his playing days, kept pushing all the right buttons. He has been able to keep the team in first place even as injuries piled up, especially on his pitching staff. Lee thanked the Tigers' fans for their unwavering support, calling them the true MVP of the team. "We've gone through so much adversity this season, and los ing so many pitchers to injuries was devastating," Lee said. "But the remaining players did a great job filling those holes. It led me to believe this was a team that wouldn't go down so easily." Lee said he tried to instill a positive mindset in his players, and added he was grateful for the way they followed his lead throughout the season. The rookie manager also said he tried not to worry too much about his lack of experience at the helm. "I've only been thinking about how to win games," he said. "I will try to build a team that can win on a consistent basis." Lee admitted it would have been better to have clinched the top regular-season record with a win, but he didn't want to be too picky. "At least we got the job done," Lee said. "When we return home to Gwangju (for the Tigers' next home game on Saturday), we will get to celebrate with our fans there. I am really looking forward to it." Lee, who played on the last Tigers championship squad in 2017, said he is not feeling any pressure to deliver th e franchise's 12th title because "I have faith in my players." "I'll have a lot of work to do over the next month or so. I'll think about potential obstacles we have to overcome and speak with other managers who have been there. I'll try to put this team in the best form possible for the Korean Series." Third baseman Kim Do-yeong has emerged as the leading MVP candidate in his record-breaking third season. At 20, Kim became the youngest member of the 30-30 club this season, and he has 37 home runs and 39 steals with seven games to go, giving him an outside shot at only the second 40-40 season in league history. Kim said after the game that it didn't dawn on him how big a deal it was to secure the top seed in the regular season, until he saw some older teammates cry tears of joy. "It has been pretty stressful trying to stay on top," Kim said. "Over the course of the season, we've been especially strong against really good teams. I think that's what put us on top." The Tigers enjoyed a dynastic run in the 1980s, reeling off five titles in a seven-year span, including four in a row starting in 1986. Kim said he'd like to start another dynasty. "We've come this far, but it won't mean anything if we don't win the Korean Series," Kim said. "I will stick to my routines and try to help us win the Korean Series no matter what." As for his MVP candidacy, Kim said, "Obviously, I'd love to win it, because a season like this doesn't come around often." Veteran starter Yang Hyeon-jong also put his name in the record books this season. On Aug. 21, he became the league's all-time strikeout leader by collecting his 2,049th strikeout. In the KBO postseason, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds will clash in the wild card game. The higher-seeded team will only need a tie to advance to the next phase, while the lower-ranked team must win two consecutive games on the road to do so. In the next round, the wild card winner will face the No. 3-ranked team from the regular season. The winner of that series will go on to meet the regular-s eason runner-up in the next round. The team that wins that series will book a date with the regular-season champion in the Korean Series. Source: Yonhap News Agency