The Korea Herald

소아쌤

Samsung Lions win S. Korean baseball championship

By 최희석

Published : Nov. 1, 2012 - 21:51

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The Samsung Lions are the champions of South Korean baseball in 2012.

At Seoul's Jamsil Stadium Thursday, the Lions beat the SK Wyverns 7-0 to clinch the best-of-seven Korean Series in six games.

Park Seok-min blasted a two-run home run and Lee Seung-yeop hit a bases-loaded triple during the six-run fourth for the Lions, who have now won back-to-back Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) titles and their sixth overall. Last year, they defeated the same Wyverns in five games.

Lee Seung-yeop was voted the most valuable player (MVP) of the Korean Series, after going 8-for-23 with a home run and 7 RBI in the series. Lee played for the Lions from 1995 to 2003 before spending eight seasons in Japan and returning for this season.

Samsung Lions players celebrate after winning the Korean Series in Seoul on Thursday. Yonhap News Samsung Lions players celebrate after winning the Korean Series in Seoul on Thursday. Yonhap News

For the second straight night, the Lions opened the scoring in the first inning, as Choi Hyung-woo hit a sacrifice fly to center.

The Lions then blew the game wide open in the fourth inning as they batted around to add six runs.

Park provided a 3-0 cushion with a two-run shot off SK's starter Mario Santiago. Park, who led the Lions with 23 home runs in the regular season, entered Thursday's game with just one hit in 14 at-bats in the Korean Series.

Bae Young-seop's single made it 4-0. After a walk loaded the bases, Lee Seung-yeop launched a triple off the right field wall to drive in everyone for a 7-0 lead.

The Lions' starter Jang Won-sam didn't need much help. The left-hander gave up only one hit and struck out nine in seven innings to earn his second win of this Korean Series.

For the Wyverns, Santiago lasted only 3 1/3 innings and was tagged with three earned runs on five hits in the loss.

Bae Young-seop, Samsung's sophomore leadoff man, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Park Seok-min added two hits for the champions.

This was the third straight Korean Series meeting between these two clubs. The Wyverns won the 2010 title by sweeping the Lions in four games, and the Lions got their revenge in 2011 in five games.

The Lions started this year's Korean Series with two straight victories at home in Daegu. Then the Wyverns drew even with two wins at their home, Incheon, before the series shifted to the neutral venue of Jamsil in Seoul.

The Lions prevailed 2-1 in Game 5 Wednesday to set up what proved to be the clinching Game 6.

Samsung had the bye to the Korean Series by virtue of finishing first in the 133-game regular season. The Wyverns ranked second in the season and earned the bye to the second round, where they beat the third-seeded Lotte Giants in five games.

The Wyverns played in their sixth straight Korean Series, a KBO record. They were the champions in 2007, 2008 and 2010. (Yonhap News)