SUWON, South Korea (Interstat) — The KT Wiz host the Kia Tigers on Friday night at Suwon Baseball Stadium, with first-place KT looking to extend its lead in the Korea Baseball Organization standings. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. under cloudy skies and 80-degree temperatures.

KT enters with a 40-26 record, seven games ahead of third-place Kia (36-32-1). The Wiz hold a 55.7% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, which projects a 6-3 final score in favor of the home side.

Left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong takes the mound for Kia. The veteran comes off a winning start Thursday against the LG Twins, allowing one earned run on three hits over five innings in a 4-2 victory. Yang’s recent outings have been inconsistent: he took losses against Doosan (2-4, June 12) and Samsung (3-2, June 6) but posted four scoreless innings in that loss to the Lions.

KT counters with right-hander So Hyeong-jun. So’s last start also came Thursday, a 2-1 loss at Doosan in which he yielded one earned run on six hits over five innings with three strikeouts.

The teams split their season series so far, with KT winning four of six meetings. The Wiz claimed the most recent matchup May 3, winning 6-4 in Gwangju. Kia posted a 6-0 shutout the previous day, but the Wiz took the series opener May 1 by a 4-3 margin. At Suwon in April, KT swept a three-game set, winning 8-3 twice and 6-5 in 11 innings.

Kia is coming off a 4-2 win over LG on Thursday, its second straight victory after dropping three of four to Doosan. The Tigers have won five of their last 10 overall, including a three-game sweep at Hanwha from June 9-11.

KT has won three of its last four, including consecutive wins at Doosan on June 16-17 before Thursday’s 2-1 loss. The Wiz have won seven of their last 10 overall and are 7-3 at home during that stretch.

After Friday’s game, the teams meet again Saturday and Sunday at Suwon to close the three-game series.