The two top teams in the KBO last season are set to meet once again in the postseason. The KT Wiz’s unprecedented sweep of the Doosan Bears secured them a second chance at the KG Twins after losing in the Korean Series last year.
Though the series went just five games, the Wiz had multiple opportunities to take control of the set. They won Game One on the road and held a 4-3 lead late in Game Two, but Twins catcher Park Dong-Won blasted an eighth-inning home run to even the series at a game apiece. Game Three would be even more dramatic as the Wiz blew a late-inning lead again. This time, they saw a 7-5 lead disappear with two outs in the ninth when shortstop Oh Ji-hwan, who homered just eight times in the regular season, came through with a stunning three-run big fly in the top of the ninth.
This Korean Series has been total insanity.
Down 5-7 with 2 outs in the 9th, Oh Ji-hwan crushed a go-ahead 3-run HR to win the game for the LG Twins.
The KBO is wonderful baseball. 🇰🇷
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) November 10, 2023
Holding all the momentum against a shell-shocked Wiz team, the Twins rolled to a blowout 15-4 victory in Game Four before returning home for a series-clinching, 6-2 win in Game Five. The five-game victory was their first Korean Series Title victory since 1994, and Game Three hero Oh was named the series MVP.
For the first time in 29 years: THE LG TWINS ARE KOREAN SERIES CHAMPIONS 🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/jzUajtM8x6
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) November 13, 2023
The Twins now return to the postseason to defend their title, but unlike 2023, they are not the heavy favorites. They won ten fewer regular-season games than they did during their championship seasons and enter the tournament as a three-seed rather than a one-seed. Their offense remained one of the league’s best, but their pitching staff saw their ERA jump by nearly a run from 2023.
The Wiz, meanwhile, won seven fewer wins than last season, and it took a trio of clutch wins just to get this far. First, they defeated the SSG Landers in a one-game tiebreaker to clinch the final postseason spot, setting up a matchup against the Doosan Bears in which they needed to win two straight road games. The Wiz would do just that, becoming the first-ever fifth seed to win the Wild-Card series with a pair of shutout victories.
Though their pitching staff is red-hot, the Wiz will be without their top two starters for Game One of the best-of-five series, as William Cuevas and Wes Benjamin were burned in the Wild-Card series victory. The Wiz will instead turn to Ko Young-pyo, who posted a 4.95 ERA this season. Conversely, the well-rested Twins will send out 13-game winner Dietrich Enns. First pitch from Jasmil Stadium will be at 2 p.m. local time.
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WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/
