By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter

The Korean Series will go to a seventh and deciding game.

The SK Wyverns, who were dominated by the Kia Tigers in a complete game shutout win by Tigers starter Aquilino Lopez in Game 5, bounced back to grab a 3-2 victory in Game 6 in the best-of seven Korean Series at Jamsil Stadium, Seoul, Friday.

It will come down to one game, where either the Tigers will win their 10th Korean Series title in franchise history or the Wyverns will win their third straight.

The Tigers had talked a lot about the importance of scoring first and they may have wanted it a little too badly in the first inning.

Game 5 hero Lee Yong-kyu singled and stole second and with Choi Hee-seop at the dish, Lee tried to steal third but was gunned down by Wyverns catcher Chung Sang-ho to end the threat.

Chung made the Tigers pay again in the second. Kim Sang-hyun, the league leader in home runs and RBIs, hit a single and then tried to steal second one batter later, but it again it was Chung throwing a runner out to end the inning.

Chung seemed to give the Wyverns the momentum and in the bottom of the second Lee Ho-jun hit a home run off Tigers starter Yoon Suk-min to give the Wyverns a 1-0 lead.

The Wyverns extended their lead in the third. Park Jae-sang doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jeong Keun-woo and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by slugger Park Jung-kwon.

In the fourth inning, Lee Ho-jun hit singled again and went to the second on a sacrifice bunt. Yoon looked like he may get out of trouble, getting the second out on a fly ball, but Wyverns ninth hitter Cho Dong-hwa drove in Lee Ho-jun with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

But the league's top team in the regular season would threaten again in the eighth.

With one out, Lee Hyun-gon and Kim Won-sub each hit singles. Wyverns reliever Go Hyo-joon got the second out on a fly ball but Go then issued a walk to load the bases for Choi Hee-seop.

With two strikes, Choi hit a two-run single, bringing the Tigers fans to their feet at Jamsil and bringing the Tigers to within one.

Wyverns manager Kim Sung-keun then brought in Game 4 winner Chae Byeong-yong and he got slugger Kim Sang-hyun to ground out to end the eighth.

The Tigers came up to bat, down to their final three outs in the ninth, after right fielder Lee Jong-bum ended the eighth inning by throwing out Choi Jeong who was trying to advance from first to third with a perfect throw from the outfield.

But Chae, who will take begin military service following the series, shut down the Tigers in the final inning, inducing two ground balls and a fly out to end the game, and even the series at three games apiece.

The league top team Tigers send Lee Guttormson to the mound for Game 7 while the Wyverns will pin their hopes on Gary Glover in an all-American battle.

The Game 7 is scheduled on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Jamsil.

yc@koreatimes.co.kr