Lions defeat Wiz for 1st Korean Series title in 12 years

The Samsung Lions have won their first Korean Series title in 12 years, defeating the KT Wiz 12-1 in Game 5. The victory came at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea, on Sunday, marking the end of a best-of-seven series. The Lions dominated the game in the fifth inning, scoring eight runs as they broke open the contest in front of a sellout crowd of 23,550 spectators.

Starting pitcher Won Tae-in contributed to the win with five innings of one-run pitching. Captain Koo Ja-wook was a key player, going 3-for-5 and scoring twice, ultimately winning the Korean Series MVP award. The Lions had lost the first game of the series, held in Suwon, but then secured four consecutive victories, including the last three at home in Daegu.

The Wiz entered the Korean Series with the best regular season record and received a first-round bye. The Samsung Lions finished the regular season in second place, eight games behind the Wiz, making them the first No. 2 seed to win the Korean Series since the 2018 SK Wyverns. The Wiz were seeking their first title since 2021, but could not secure the championship this time around.