It's Samsung vs. Doosan in Korean Series

Players and managers competing at the Korean Series, the final round of postseason playoffs of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) pose during a pre-game media day event at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Design Center, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Seoul. From left are Doosan Bears players Yoo Hee-kwan, Kim Hyun-soo and manager Kim Tae-hyung, the Samsung Lions manager Ryu Joong-il and players Koo Ja-wook and Park Suk-min. The two clubs will play Game 1 of the Korean Series at the Lions’ Daegu Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m. today. / Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

This year’s Korean Series, the final round of postseason playoffs of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will be between the reigning champion Samsung Lions and the Doosan Bears.

In a best-of-five second round playoff, the Bears secured a 3-2 series triumph to advance to the final round, defeating the NC Dinos 6-4 in Game 5, Saturday.

At the Dinos’ home park Masan Baseball Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, the Dinos got things started early scoring first in the bottom first. With right fielder Na Sung-bum on first and first baseman Eric Thames on second, the Dinos designated hitter Lee Ho-jun hit a RBI single against the Bears left-handed starter Jang Won-jun. The Dinos added one more run to make the score 2-0 in the bottom second after second baseman Park Min-woo hit a single to right to score shortstop Son Si-heon.

The Bears made their first score with catcher Yang Eui-ji’s solo homerun against the Dinos starter Zach Stewart in the top of the fourth inning, and succeeded in turning tables by adding five runs in the fifth.

After making a tie with two consecutive doubles launched by shortstop Kim Jae-ho and center fielder Jung Soo-bin, the Bears left fielder and cleanup Kim Hyun-soo took the plate with full bases and ripped a double to the right field wall to score two runners to make the Bears ahead 4-2.

Though the double made Stewart step off the mound, the Bears finished the inning after scoring two more runs with Yang’s sacrifice fly against the relief pitcher Lee Min-ho and first baseman Oh Jae-il’s groundout to second to score Kim Hyun-soo.

The Dinos started chasing with right fielder Na’s RBI double in the fifth and third baseman Ji Seok-hun’s solo homer in the sixth, but there was no more rallies for the home team.

The Bear’s right-hander Dustin Nippert, who threw 17 scoreless innings while earning two of his team’s three wins, was voted the MVP.

With the win, The Bears will have their ninth Korean Series appearance. In their previous eight campaigns, the Bears won the title three times in 1982, 1995 and 2001.

The Game 1 of the best-of-seven Korean Series will take place at the Lions’ home park Daegu Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m., Monday.

The Lions manager Ryu Joong-il said during a media conference Sunday that he will start their right-hander Alfredo Figaro while the Bears will bring left hander Yoo Hee-kwan on the mound.

The Lions is in the Korean Series by winning the pennant with 88 wins and 56 losses this year.

3 Lions pitchers to miss the series

While the Lions embark on a quest to become the first KBO club to win five consecutive Korean Series titles, the outlook for the campaign looks bleak as the Lions officially excluded three key pitchers who have been under investigation for alleged illegal overseas gambling.

After the media event at 3 p.m. on Sunday, the Lions released its 28-man roster for the Korean Series at 4:30 p.m., which excludes three pitchers ― ace starter Yun Sung-hwan, set-up man An Ji-man and the league’s best closer Lim Chang-yong.

The Lions announced Tuesday that they had decided not to include players suspected of gambling in the series Tuesday. This came five days after a TV news report that three Lions players were being investigated for allegedly gambling in Macao. The club’s CEO Kim In refused to identify those involved in the scandal, saying they have not been formally charged yet.

Lions manager Ryu apologized for the players’ alleged illegal overseas gambling at the press conference.

“With the Korean Series ahead, I would like to issues a sincere apology to baseball fans for this unsavory incident,” the manager told reporters at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Design Center, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

For the Lions, it remains to be seen how Ryu fills up the weakened roster.

Yun left no doubt he deserves ace status in his team after going 17-8 this season with 3.76 ERA. Though he allowed more runs than Figaro, he has thrown 194 innings in 30 games, 29 innings more than the Dominican right hander.

The veteran closer Lim was the most efficient in the league. Recording five wins, 2 losses and 33 saves with 2.83 ERA, Lim became the oldest pitcher who led the league in saves at the age of 39. An, who holds the most holds in the league with 172 holds, went four wins, three losses and 37 holds while throwing 78 and 1/3 innings this season.