The SK Wyverns edged the Lotte Giants 2-1 in the Korea Baseball Organization's (KBO) second-round playoffs Saturday, forcing a decisive Game 5.
At Sajik Stadium in Busan, SK's starter Mario Santiago pitched six shutout innings and the bullpen held on for dear life as the Wyverns staved off elimination on the road.
The winner will face defending champion Samsung Lions in the Korea Series. The Lions, who won the league title last year, received the bye to the Korean Series by virtue of finishing first in the regular season.
The Wyverns, the KBO champs in 2007, 2008 and 2010, are going for their sixth consecutive Korean Series appearance. The Giants, who last won the KBO title in 1992, are trying to make their first Korean Series in 13 years.
The fifth game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Munhak Stadium in Incheon, the Wyverns' home. SK will start lefty Kim Kwang-hyun and Lotte will send Shane Youman, also a southpaw. These two started the first game of this series last week and Kim emerged the winner.
Santiago, a right-hander from Puerto Rico, struck out six Giants and held them to just four hits to earn the victory in his first career KBO playoff start.
The Wyverns broke the scoreless deadlock in the top fifth, when Park Jae-sang smashed a double into the right field corner to drive in Jeong Keun-woo from first.
They added an insurance run in the seventh, as Jeong led off the inning with a double and later scored on a single by Choi Jeong.
The Giants' cleanup Hong Sung-heun hit a solo home run off closer Jung Woo-ram with one out in the bottom ninth for the home side's only run of the day.
Hwang Jae-gyun led off the bottom eighth with a single but was doubled up when pinch hitter Cho Sung-hwan hit a line drive to short.
The Wyverns also wasted several scoring chances in this game. They had runners on second and third with one out in the top first, but Jeong Keun-woo, the runner on third, failed to tag on Lee Ho-joon's fly out to right. Park Jung-kwon flied out to center to end the rally.
The bases were loaded with two outs for the Wyverns in the top third, but Park once again hit a pop up to center.
The Wyverns had another bases-loaded opportunity in the top fifth after Park Jae-sang's RBI double. But with two outs, Kim Kang-min went down swinging.
Still, the Wyverns pitchers made sure two runs would be enough for the victory on this day. After Santiago, Park Hee-soo threw two scores innings and Jung Woo-ram earned the save despite giving up the homer to Hong in the ninth.
Lotte's starter Jin Myung-ho lasted only two-plus innings, giving up two hits and two walks. Lee Jung-min, who took over in the second inning, was charged with the loss.
Jeong Keun-woo went 4-for-4 with two steals, two runs scored and a walk. (Yonhap)
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