The Kia Tigers clinched the Korean Series title on Monday morning with a 7-5 victory over the Samsung Lions. The five-game series victory is their 12th title in 12 Korean Series appearances and their first since 2017. Additionally, this victory marked the first time since 1987 that the Tigers celebrated a Korean Series title in front of their home fans.
Early on in this contest, it looked like the beleaguered Lions would be able to force a Game 6. Despite being without superstar Koo Ja-wook, who injured his ankle in the previous serious while attempting to steal second, the Lions struck early against KBO all-time strikeout leader Yang Hyeon-jong. Lewin Diaz continued his remarkable postseason with a two-run shot to put the Lions on the board, and Kim Young-woong followed with a solo blast of his own to give the road team an early 3-0 lead.
김영웅 백투백!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/7DDwS3UDds
— 꼬리별 (@sscomet3) October 28, 2024
Though the Tigers got one run back in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly, the Lions answered back in the top of the third. Once again, it was Diaz who delivered the big blow, launching another two-run homer that knocked Yang out of the game and gave the Lions their biggest lead of the series at 5-1.
디아즈 연타석 홈런!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ZeyDXdt93o
— 꼬리별 (@sscomet3) October 28, 2024
However, as they did during their Game 1 comeback, the Tigers would roar back against the Lions’ shaky bullpen. Veteran Choi Hyong-woo would burn his old team with a leadoff homer in the fifth, and reliever Kim Tae-hoon issued back-to-back walks to put the tying runs on base.
The Lion’s wildness only continued when Kim Sun-yu, who pitched only four times during the regular season, entered the game. The moment proved too big for the 24-year-old righty, as he issued two more walks and a pair of run-scoring wild pitches to knot the score at five.
기아식 동점!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/33SVs8BwRl
— 이승 (@maybe_kiatigers) October 28, 2024
The frenzied home crowd could now see the finish line, and the Tigers would keep the pressure on in the bottom of the sixth. A single and a walk put runners on the corner with only one out for Kim Tae-gun, who delivered the big hit in Game 4 with a third-inning grand slam. The catcher would come through again, albeit in much less dramatic fashion, with an infield single that scored Socrates Brito and gave the Tigers a 6-5 lead.
김태군 역전 적시타!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/gNjHTuUQuX
— 이승 (@maybe_kiatigers) October 28, 2024
The Tigers would tack on an additional run with a Park Chan-ho RBI double, which proved more than enough for their dominant bullpen. Six different relievers would combine to allow just one hit over 6.1 innings of relief, headlined by closer Jung Hai-young, who continued his storybook season by retiring all four batters he faced. The 23-year-old phenom finished things by striking out Kim Sung-yoon to start the celebration at Gwangju Champions Field.
Tigers second baseman Kim Sun-bin was awarded Korean Series MVP after batting .588 and collecting at least two hits in four of the five games.
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