By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter
The Samsung Lions didn't create as much of a buzz as the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season. They didn't draw as many fans, and they didn't make as many headlines in newspapers and Web sites.
But when it mattered most, the Lions did play better baseball.
The Lions defeated the Giants 6-4 Saturday at Daegu Stadium to complete a sweep of their more celebrated rivals in the KBO's best-of-five, first-round playoff series.
With the victory, the Lions advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they'll begin a best-of-seven series against the Doosan Bears Thursday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. The winner of that series will face the reigning KBO champion SK Wyverns in the Korean Series later this month.
Meanwhile, the Giants' memorable season has come to an end. The Busan-based club, which made the playoffs for the first time since 2000, became one of the KBO's biggest stories as it led the league in attendance by drawing more than 1.3 million fans to its home games this season. The Giants' first-year American manager, Jerry Royster, became a hero in Busan for his work in resurrecting the team.
Needing a win to keep their season alive, the Giants had a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning against the Lions on Saturday. But the Lions rallied back by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the eighth.
The Lions' Yang Joon-hyuk had two hits in the game, including a two-run home run. Cho Dong-chan added two hits and two RBIs, while Jin Kap-yong had two hits.
The Lions' Cho Jin-ho earned the win after pitching two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and tallying one strikeout. Oh Seung-hwan retired all three of the batters he faced in the ninth to earn the save.
The Giants' David Cortes, an imported player from Mexico, took the loss after allowing two runs and three hits in the eighth inning.