Wildcard Defeat Ends Doosan Bears Season and Park Jun-sun Postseason Hopes
The Doosan Bears finished their 2026 KBO League postseason run on October 14 after a 4-1 loss to the LG Twins in the first game of the wildcard series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, ending Park Jun-sun’s chances of returning from a thigh injury. Doosan entered the matchup as the regular-season fifth seed and needed two straight wins against fourth-seeded LG to advance to the semi-playoffs. Instead, the opening defeat immediately concluded the team’s autumn campaign.
Manager Kim Won-hyung Explains the Roster Decision
Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung left Park off the wildcard roster after evaluating that the infielder’s physical condition sat at roughly 50 percent, rather than full health. Park batted .302 with 114 hits, 16 home runs, and 61 RBIs across 98 games in his second season before suffering the late-season thigh injury. Kim stated that although Park had attempted batting practice, the coaching staff ultimately decided against active game deployment due to medical advice advising against rushing him back too quickly.
There are many chances ahead. I hope he won’t be discouraged,
Kim said, noting that he wanted to offer advice to the young player rather than just simple comfort.
Teammate Park Chan-ho Acknowledges the Infield Absence
Park Chan-ho noted that losing the young infielder created a notable gap for the squad while praising replacement contributions. Jun-sun personally misses it a lot, and it is a big loss for the team,
the teammate said, while adding that Seung-ho had been playing well and performing a big role in almost every game to help bridge the lineup gap.
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