DAEGU: The Samsung Lions powered past the Kia Tigers, claiming a 4-2 victory at Daegu Samsung Lions Park for their first win in the Korean Series. This crucial victory comes after the Lions dropped the first two games, keeping their hopes alive in the best-of-seven series.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Lions tied a Korean Series record by hitting four solo home runs, providing strong offensive support for starter Denyi Reyes. Reyes delivered an impressive performance, pitching seven innings of one-run ball and striking out eight batters. The Lions are now poised to even the series with Game 4 scheduled in Daegu, as they aim to become the third team in 20 attempts to rally from a 2-0 deficit to win the Korean Series. Their last title was in 2014, while the Tigers are chasing their first championship since 2017.
Lions designated hitter Park Byung-ho made headlines by hitting his 14th career postseason home run, tying him for the all-time lead with former Lions star Lee Seung-yuop. The Lions initiated s
coring in their typical fashion at home, with Lee Sung-gyu hitting his first career postseason home run in the bottom of the third inning. Reyes navigated through a challenging second inning, escaping a two-on, one-out situation with a double play, and received defensive support in the fifth inning from left fielder Kim Hun-gon, who made a critical diving catch to prevent a potential game-changing hit by the Tigers.
The Lions expanded their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Kim Young-woong homered, his third career postseason homer at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. The Tigers responded in the sixth inning with a single by Park Chan-ho and an RBI single from Choi Hyoung-woo, but Reyes successfully limited further damage.
In the seventh inning, the Lions extended their lead with back-to-back home runs from Kim Hun-gon and Park Byung-ho. Tigers’ pitcher Jeon Sang-hyun made history, albeit unfavorably, by becoming the first in Korean Series history to allow consecutive home runs on two pitches. Kim Jae-yoon, the
Lions’ closer, faced challenges in the ninth inning but secured the win by inducing a game-ending groundout with the bases loaded.
Reyes maintained an unbeaten record this postseason with an outstanding 0.87 ERA, while Kia Tigers’ starter Eric Lauer suffered a hard-luck loss despite a solid performance, allowing only five hits and striking out eight over five innings.