Samsung Lions Crush KT 12-1 to Win First Korean Series in 12 Years

The Samsung Lions ended a 12-year championship drought with a 12-1 rout of the KT Wiz in Game 5 of the Korean Series on Sunday, clinching their ninth KBO title at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

Samsung won the best-of-seven series 4-1 after losing the opener, then taking four straight games to complete the first Korean Series upset championship in club history. The Lions last lifted the trophy in 2014.

Eight-run fifth inning breaks Game 5 open

KT scored first in the third inning when Jang Jin-hyuk brought home the game’s opening run with a sacrifice fly. Samsung answered immediately with three runs in the bottom half, highlighted by captain Koo Ja-wook’s game-tying double and a go-ahead hit from Kim Young-woong.

The decisive surge came in the fifth. Samsung sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight times, punishing two KT errors and turning a 3-1 lead into an 11-1 blowout. Kim Ji-chan delivered the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run triple into the right-center gap.

The Lions finished with 14 hits and did not hit a home run. Kim Young-woong collected four hits, while Koo added three as Samsung repeatedly kept pressure on KT’s defense.

Won Tae-in and Chris Paddack finish the job

Won Tae-in allowed one run on four hits and two walks over five innings, striking out five on 88 pitches. The right-hander worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fifth to leave Samsung in front before the offense broke the game open.

Chris Paddack retired all 12 batters he faced over the final four innings, striking out five to earn the save and give Samsung a clean path to the celebration. The Lions added their final run in the eighth before Paddack closed the title in the ninth.

Koo Ja-wook caps championship run with MVP

Koo was named Korean Series MVP after batting .500 across the five games. The 33-year-old captain helped drive the comeback after Samsung’s 8-7 loss in Game 1, and the Lions followed with wins of 3-2 in 12 innings, 5-1, 10-5 and 12-1.

The championship also delivered a long-awaited first ring for 41-year-old catcher Kang Min-ho in his 23rd KBO season. Kang played through an oblique injury during the series and scored during Samsung’s eight-run fifth inning in the clincher.

Samsung’s title denied regular-season champion KT a second Korean Series crown and completed a postseason run that also required a five-game playoff victory over the KIA Tigers.