The Korea Baseball Organization’s Samsung Lions defeated the SSG Landers 5-2 on Tuesday in Game 4 of the semi-playoff to advance to the playoff round against the Hanwha Eagles.
The winner of the best-of-five playoff series between the Lions and Eagles will face the regular-season champion LG Twins in the Korean Series.
The Lions finished the job in front of their home fans at Daegu Samsung Lions Park with back-to-back home runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Regular-season home run champion Lewin Díaz broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run shot to right field, followed by a dramatic bat toss and celebration with his teammates. Shortstop Lee Jae-hyeon added an insurance run with a solo homer on the first pitch of his at-bat.
Ariel Jurado threw seven scoreless innings for the Lions, but Samsung’s bullpen relinquished a 2-0 lead in the eighth. The Landers tied the game at two with a double from shortstop Park Seong-han. Jurado, a native of Panama, struck out nine and did not allow a hit until the fifth.
According to Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency, the Lions are the first No. 4 seed to win a semi-playoff in 17 years. They edged the NC Dinos in the wild-card round, winning Game 2 3-0 despite collecting just one hit.
As the team with the second-best record in the regular season, the Eagles received a bye into the playoff round — their first automatic bid to the second round of the KBO postseason since 2007. They have played four scrimmages to stay sharp, including two against the independent South Korean club Yeoncheon Miracle.
Game 1 of the playoff series between the Lions and Eagles is set for Friday at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 a.m. EDT.
Where to Watch: Fans can stream the 2025 KBO season on the SOOP service. The KBO’s official YouTube channel also posts game highlights and clips from other events such as the All-Star Game and Golden Glove Awards.
WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/korea-baseball-organization/
