LG Twins players throw their manager Youm Kyung-youb into the air after winning the Korean Series Game Five between LG Twins and KT Wiz at Jamsil Stadium on November 13, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
By Conor Liguori
World Baseball Network
The LG Twins have won the Korean Series for the first time in 29 years, defeating the KT Wiz in five games.
The title is the organization’s third in franchise history, previously winning the championship in 1994 and 1990. The Twins’ last appearance in the Korean Series was in 2002, when the Samsung Lions defeated them in six games.
Before the game, Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb expressed how important a win would be for the organization and how his team needed to focus more on fundamentals.
“We are desperate for a win tonight. We want to finish the deal here,” Youm told Yonhap News Agency. “Throughout the Korean Series, I have talked to the team about fundamentals. We won the regular season title because we played good, fundamental baseball. And if we stick to that, we can definitely win the Korean Series here,”
Youm was correct, as the Twins won game five 6-2 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. LG Twins second baseman Shin Man-jae made the last out of the series, catching a line drive hit by KT Wiz centerfielder Bae Jung-dae.
Oh Ji-hwan was named the 2023 Korean Series Most Valuable Player, hitting three home runs with eight RBI in just five games. In game five, the Twins scored three runs in the third inning, including a clutch two-run double from Park Hae-min to score the first two runs. The Twins added two more runs in the fifth inning on a pair of wild pitches and then tacked on one more in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 6-1 lead.
Game five starting pitcher Casey Kelly allowed one earned run and five hits in his five innings for the Twins. He walked three and struck out three. Ko Young-po of the Wiz was not as successful. The right-handed pitcher allowed five earned runs on seven hits in his four innings.
According to the X account KBO in English, the Twins are renewing Kelly’s contract for next season. He has been with the Twins since the 2019 season and owns a 68-38 record and 3.08 ERA in 144 career games in South Korea.
The Twins won their last championship in 1994 against the Pacific Dolphins, and there was much anticipation from the home crowd for them to win again. The World Baseball Softball Confederation reports that over 106,000 people attended this year’s Korean Series, around 21,200 per game.
All five games of the 2023 Korean Series were sold out, and 23,750 attended game five at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, home of the Twins. At the start of game five, the temperature was about zero degrees celsius, just 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Even the cold temperatures did not stop the Twins from accomplishing what they set out to do at the beginning of the season. As for the KT Wiz, they will revamp for 2024 and seek their first championship since they defeated the Doosan Bears in 2021.
The KBO will look slightly different in 2024, as the league has added a pitch clock and an automated ball-strike system for next season. The 2024 KBO schedule has yet to be announced.
2023 Korean Series Results
Game 1 – KT Wiz defeat LG Twins 3-2
Game 2 – LG Twins defeat KT Wiz 5-4
Game 3 – LG Twins defeat KT Wiz 8-7
Game 4 – LG Twins defeat KT Wiz 15-4
Game 5 – LG Twins defeat KT Wiz 6-2