With 15 days separating the end of the regular season and the Samsung Lions’ second-round opener against the LG Twins, there were questions about how rusty their offense would be with the long layoff. From the first inning of game one, the Lions bats silenced all doubt, battering Twins pitching for 20 runs and 34 hits to take a 2-0 series advantage.
As they had all regular season, Samsung’s offense was powered by the long ball. No team topped the Lion’s 192 home runs during the regular season, and they have already added eight more over the first two postseason contests. Leading the way has been Lewin Diaz, who signed with the Lions on August 12 and provided some major thump down the stretch with a .282 average with nine home runs. That production, however, pales in comparison to what he’s done thus far in the second round, as the slugging first baseman has gone 5-for-6 with a trio of longballs and a whopping six RBI.
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— 경산대장 (@simba__18) October 13, 2024
While Diaz was a late-season addition to the Lions’ offense, Kim Hun-Gon has been an organizational stalwart for over a decade. The 35-year-old outfielder made his debut in 2011 but had a career season in 2024, posting career-highs in both average (.302) and slugging percentage (.434). After walking in his only plate appearance in Game One, the veteran put on a show in the second contest, blasting two home runs and driving in four.
The Lions also received contributions from the bottom of the order, namely in the form of third baseman Kim Young-woong. The third overall pick of the 2022 KBO draft, Kim underwhelmed in part-time duty over his first two seasons before breaking out in 2024 with 28 home runs and 79 RBI. Playing in his first postseason game, the 21-year-old launched a solo shot in the fourth inning of Game One before giving the Lions an early lead with another solo homer in game two.
The Lions’ lineup depth will prove critical moving forward, as they will likely play the remainder of the series without their top hitter. After homering in Game One, star outfielder Koo Ja-wook left Game Two with a knee injury after just one plate appearance and will be in Japan receiving treatment until at least the 18th. The 31-year-old Koo is coming off a career season in which he hit a personal-best 33 home runs and drove in 115 runs.
With Koo set to miss time, the Lions will look to give their star additional rest by finishing off the Twins in game three and advancing to the Korean Series against the Kia Tigers, where there is hope that Koo can rejoin the club. The hopes of a quick sweep will fall on the shoulders of 22-year-old Hwang Dong-jae. The swingman posted a 4.07 ERA in 42 innings, making six starts out of 15 total appearances. The Twins, meanwhile, will look to stave off elimination with ace Im Chang-kyu. The experienced right-hander helped carry the Twins past the KT Wiz in the opening round by delivering two one-run performances. The first pitch of Game Three from LG’s Jasmil Baseball Stadium will be Thursday at 5:30 a.m. EST.
Watch the KBO playoffs on SOOP.
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WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/
