Lions defeat Wiz for 1st Korean Series title in 12 years
Samsung Lions players celebrate after winning the Korean Series title over the KT Wiz at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, Sunday. Yonhap
The Samsung Lions are the king of Korean baseball once again.
The Lions hammered the KT Wiz 12-1 in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Sunday to close out the best-of-seven battle and capture their first title in 12 years.
The Lions blew the game wide open in an eight-run fifth inning before a sellout crowd of 23,550 fans, while starting pitcher Won Tae-in tossed five innings of one-run ball for the victory.
Captain Koo Ja-wook went 3-for-5 and scored twice en route to earning the Korean Series MVP award.
The Lions lost the series opener Tuesday on the road in Suwon, just south of Seoul, but then won the next four games in a row, including the past three at their home in Daegu.
The Wiz had the best record in the regular season and earned a bye to the Korean Series. The Samsung Lions finished the regular season in second place, eight games behind the Wiz, and the Lions are the first No. 2 seed to be crowned the Korean Series champions since the 2018 SK Wyverns.
The Wiz were going for their first title since 2021. They were also the runners-up in the 2023 Korean Series.