Miami Marlins pitcher Chris Paddack delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami. Paddack starts Game 2 of the Korean Series for the Samsung Lions.·(AP Photo/Jim Rassol)·Source: WBN
The Samsung Lions dominated the KT Wiz in Game 5 of the Korean Series, mauling the Wiz 12-1 to clinch their first Korean Series championship since 2014 four games to one.
The KT Wiz became just the third No. 1 seed to lose the Korea Series since 2002. Tae-in Won, one of Samsung’s best pitchers from 2021-25 but a struggling performer in 2026, got the start in the biggest game of his professional career. The Wiz countered with ace Davis Daniel.
After two scoreless innings from the starting pitchers, the Wiz struck first, just as they had in each of the previous two games. After putting runners on second and third with one out, Jin-hyuk Jang lifted a sacrifice fly to give the Wiz a 1-0 lead.
Samsung answered right back. With a runner on second and two outs, designated hitter Ja-wook Koo continued his strong Korean Series performance with an RBI double off the wall to tie the game. Lewin Díaz followed with a single off the right-field wall to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, Young-woong Kim singled for Samsung’s fourth consecutive two-out hit, extending the lead to 3-1.
In a season in which Won had his worst performance since 2020, he stepped up in the biggest game of his career. He pitched five innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out five.
The Lions extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth in a big way. After Davis Daniel was replaced following three innings, the Wiz brought in No. 2 starter Young-pyo Ko, pulling out all the stops to stay in the game. After the Lions put runners on first and second, Hyoung-woo Choi delivered a one-out single to extend the lead to 4-1. Young-woong Kim followed with a ground ball that deflected off the glove of second baseman Hyun-in Ryu, allowing Koo to score from second and make it 5-1. Jae-hyeon Lee extended the lead to 6-1 with a double to left field.
The disastrous fifth inning continued for the Wiz. A potential double-play ground ball off the bat of Min-ho Kang with the bases loaded was thrown away by Ryu, allowing two runs to score and making it 8-1. Ji-chan Kim then tripled over the head of center fielder Sam Hilliard to extend the lead to 10-1. The hit prompted Ko’s exit. Despite receiving little help from his defense, Ko allowed five hits as the game got away from the Wiz. The Lions added another run on a wild pitch to take an 11-1 lead.
Samsung scored eight runs on six hits in the inning. The Wiz committed two errors and threw a wild pitch.
Lions ace Chris Paddack replaced Won to begin the sixth. After three perfect innings from Paddack, the Lions added another run in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Kim hit a ground ball to shortstop that took a bad hop and struck Dong-jin Kwon in the eye. The play allowed a run to score, making it 12-1. Kwon was placed on a stretcher and transported by ambulance.
With a 12-1 lead, Paddack remained in the game for the Lions. He retired the side in order to complete four perfect innings and clinch the Korean Series championship for Samsung with a 12-1 victory.
The championship was Samsung’s first since 2014. The series victory also marked the first time since 2018 that the No. 1 seed failed to win the Korean Series and just the third time that happened since 2002.
The series was eerily similar to the 2015 Korean Series, when Samsung entered as the No. 1 seed. The Lions won Game 1 by one run before dropping the next four games, including an 11-run loss to the Doosan Bears in Game 5. Samsung was outscored 36-16 in the series.
In the 2026 Korean Series, the KT Wiz won Game 1 before dropping four consecutive games to Samsung. In the series-clinching Game 5, the Lions won by 11 runs. They outscored the Wiz 37-17 over the five games.
Koo was named the Korean Series Most Valuable Player. After injuring his hamstring late in the regular season, he battled the injury throughout the postseason after missing the end of the regular season. He was nothing short of spectacular in the Korean Series.
Koo went 10-for-20 with a home run, a triple, two doubles and six RBIs, leading a Samsung offense that overwhelmed the Wiz pitching staff. His availability for the playoffs had been in doubt after a hamstring injury that potentially could have sidelined him for months. However, he returned in the previous round against the KIA Tigers. Koo went 3-for-20 against the Tigers but found his rhythm in the Korean Series, looking every bit like the player who won the 2026 batting title with a .371 average.
The Lions were the premier team in the KBO from 2002 through 2014. They won seven championships in 13 years, including a remarkable four consecutive titles from 2011-14, establishing themselves as a dynasty.
After 2015, Samsung experienced a steep decline. The Lions missed the postseason five consecutive seasons from 2016-20 and failed to qualify in seven of eight seasons from 2016-23. It was a dramatic fall for a once-dominant franchise that, from 1997-2015, missed the playoffs just once and reached the Korean Series 10 times.
Things changed in 2024. The club finished second in the regular season and reached the Korean Series before falling to the Tigers in five games.
Samsung signed Díaz in August 2024, and he has since become the club’s best overall hitter. In 2025, Díaz became the first foreign player to hit 50 home runs in a season. He helped lead the Lions on another postseason run, but they fell one win short of returning to the Korean Series.
Díaz followed that performance with another strong season in 2026, posting an .894 OPS with 26 home runs and 129 RBIs. His signing two years ago transformed the Samsung offense.
Another significant addition to the franchise was right-hander Ariel Jurado, who signed with the Lions before the 2025 season after spending two seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes. He immediately established himself as the team’s ace, helping lead the Lions to the postseason with a 2.60 ERA in 197 1/3 innings. Jurado posted a 3.54 ERA in 150 innings in 2026. Although injuries sidelined him in July and kept him out for all of August, he delivered when the Lions needed him most in the postseason.
One of the final pieces was the addition of Chris Paddack. The former major league pitcher played for the Marlins, Reds and Rangers before signing with the Samsung Lions on July 11. For a pitching staff with question marks beyond Ariel Jurado, Paddack’s arrival raised the team’s ceiling.
He posted a 2.95 ERA in 76 1/3 innings with 80 strikeouts. The combination of Paddack and Jurado at the top of the rotation made the Lions incredibly difficult to beat. The two delivered time and time again throughout the postseason.
With homegrown talent in Koo, foreign slugger Díaz and a rotation featuring foreign pitchers Paddack and Jurado, the Lions proved too much for the KT Wiz.
After more than a decade without a championship, the Samsung Lions are back atop the KBO in 2026.
