By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The Samsung Lions defeated the Doosan Bears 6-2 at Daegu Stadium to grab a 2-1 lead in the second round playoffs of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
Choi Hyung-woo hit a three-run homer and Park Sok-min had a two-run double to lift the Lions, which won in the five-hour and seven-minute Game 2 Friday, to taking control of the best-of-seven series.
Lions starter Yoon Sung-hwan, who struggled in the first round against the Lotte Giants, threw one-run five innings, allowing six hits and five relievers including closer Oh Seung-hwan limited the Doosan Bears to one run over four innings.
Game 4 will be played Monday in Daegu with the Lions' Lee Sang-mok facing Kim Sun-woo of the Bears.
After bailing out of a bases loaded jam in the third inning, the Lions, which finished fourth in the regular season, broke open a game at the bottom half.
With runners on first and second, first baseman Park, who did not start in the first two games due to a rib injury, hit a double off Bears starting pitcher Lee Hye-chun for a 2-0 lead.
Right fielder Choi, who blasted five home runs against the Bears during the season, drove a 1-0 pitch from reliever Kim Sang-hyun to the right seats to make it 5-1.
The Lions added a run on a single from Shin Myung-chul, who had a game-winning two-run triple two days ago, in the seventh.
The Bears batters in the middle of the lineup, which went 3-for-26 in the opening first two games, are still concerns for manager Kim Kyung-moon.
Third batter Kim Hyun-soo was 1-for-4, while cleanup man Kim Dong-joo had two hits without tallying any RBI.
Hong Sung-heon, who batted fifth, was held hitless in four at-bats.