NC Dinos vs Doosan Bears

The Bears struck immediately. In the top of the 1st, four straight Bears reached after two outs, and Kim Min-seok drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the opening run before Park Chan-ho added an RBI single. Doosan led 2–0 before Taylor recorded a third out.

NC answered in the bottom of the 2nd. Kim Hwi-jip led off with a triple and scored on Park Gun-woo's single to centre, cutting the deficit to 2–1.

The game turned decisively in the 3rd. Doosan sent nine men to the plate and scored four runs. Ahn Jae-seok crushed a three-run homer — his 7th of the season — off Taylor to left field, and an RBI groundout from Park Ji-hoon made it 6–1.

NC first baseman Blaine responded with a solo home run in the 4th, his 3rd of the season, off Choi Min-seok to make it 6–2. But Doosan immediately answered in the top half: Park Ji-hoon doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly, restoring the five-run cushion at 7–2.

Choi Min-seok settled after the Blaine homer and handed a comfortable lead to the bullpen. Doosan's final tally came in the 9th — a solo home run by Yang Eui-ji, his 17th, off NC reliever Kim Tae-hoon.

Taylor's inability to escape the 1st inning without damage set the tone. After retiring the first two batters, he issued a walk to Yang Eui-ji, then allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases. The bases-loaded walk to Kim Min-seok and Park Chan-ho's subsequent RBI single meant Taylor threw 30 pitches in the opening frame and never found rhythm.

The knockout blow came in the 3rd. After a leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt, Taylor intentionally walked Yang Eui-ji to set up a double-play chance, but Ahn Jae-seok deposited a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run homer. Taylor was charged with 7 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks across 4 innings — his shortest and worst outing of the season against the Bears.

Choi Min-seok (Doosan) — The 20-year-old righty improved to 11–3 on the season. He entered the game having thrown 13 scoreless innings against NC in two prior 2026 meetings and, despite allowing Blaine's solo homer, kept the Dinos off the board otherwise to lower his ERA to 2.68.

Ahn Jae-seok (Doosan) — The game-breaking three-run homer in the 3rd turned a manageable deficit into a rout. Ahn finished with 3 RBIs.

Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) — The veteran catcher reached base three times (single, walk, solo HR), scored twice, and drove in a run with his 17th homer of the year. He also walked intentionally in the 3rd, a decision that backfired immediately.

Park Ji-hoon (Doosan) — Two doubles, one run scored and one RBI. His 4th-inning double led directly to Doosan's 7th run.

Blaine (NC) — Provided NC's only bright spot, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a single.

The 16-10 hit disparity reflects Doosan's relentless approach against Taylor. The Bears strung together hits with runners on (3-for-9 with RISP through the first four innings), while NC managed only 2 hits in 8 at-bats with runners in scoring position. NC's bullpen held Doosan to 1 run over the final 5 innings (Song Myung-gi tossed 2 scoreless frames), but the damage against the starter was insurmountable. The only error of the game was committed by Doosan shortstop Kim Dae-han in the 3rd, but it did not lead to a run.

Doosan (57–48–4) solidified its hold on 5th place in the KBO, pulling within 1.5 games of 4th-place KIA with the series win. The Bears have now won 8 of their last 11 meetings against NC this season and are unbeaten in their last 5 matchups overall.

NC (46–54–2) dropped to 7th, falling 3 games below .500 and now 6.5 games adrift of a playoff berth. Taylor's ERA climbed to 4.84 after one of his worst outings of the year. The Dinos host Doosan in the series finale on Thursday (20 August, 19:00 KST) before travelling to face Hanwha on Friday.

A clinical demolition built on Taylor's early implosion and Choi Min-seok's continued mastery of NC. Doosan's offence is peaking at the right time, while NC's fading playoff hopes take another damaging blow.