The Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins won their second championship in the last three seasons with a 4-1 win in Game 5 of the Korean Series on Friday against the Hanwha Eagles. Friday’s victory at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark marked the Twins’ fourth title in franchise history.
The Twins won the first two games of the series at home at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. The Eagles scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth in Game 3 to collect their lone win of the series. A 7-4 Twins victory in Game 4 laid the groundwork for Friday night’s series clincher.
Left fielder Kim Hyun-soo took home the Korean Series MVP trophy, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs in Game 5. Kim recorded two or more RBIs in three of the five contests, and previously enjoyed a two-year stint in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies from 2016-17. He went 9-for-17 in the five-game series and struck out just twice in 22 plate appearances.
“This is my 20th year in baseball, and I didn’t ever think a day like this would ever come,” Kim told the media after winning the MVP award, per Korea’s JoonAng Daily. “I’m lucky to be surrounded by such great teammates. I am really thankful for everything they’ve done.”
Anders Tolhurst, an American pitcher from Santee, California, and a former 23rd-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, allowed one earned run and struck out five in seven innings in Game 5 for the Twins. Kim Jin-sung and You Young-chan each threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
The Twins (85-56-3) and Eagles (83-57-4) finished with the top and second-best records in the KBO, respectively. According to Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency, first-place finishers in the regular season win the Korean Series about 85 percent of the time. The Eagles’ streak of seasons without a championship extends to 25, and this year was their first in the Korean Series since 2006. Hanwha’s last title victory came in 1999 against the Lotte Giants.
After a loss in the Playoff Round to the Samsung Lions in the 2024 postseason, the Twins can call themselves the defending champions again. They defeated the KT Wiz four games to one in the 2023 Korean Series.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation reported on Friday that all five games of the Korean Series sold out, averaging 20,890 fans per contest. The KBO set a new attendance record this season, breaking 12 million spectators for the first time in the league’s 44-year history.
Korean Series Final Scores
Game 1 – LG Twins 8, Hanwha Eagles 2
Game 2 – LG Twins 13, Hanwha Eagles 5
Game 3 – Hanwha Eagles 7, LG Twins 3
Game 4 – LG Twins 7, Hanwha Eagles 4
Game 5 – LG Twins 4, Hanwha Eagles 1
WBN KBO – https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/korea-baseball-organization/
Photo: Kim Hyun-Soo celebrates and RBI single in Game 5 of the Korea Series. (Courtesy of the WBSC)
