DAEGU — The Samsung Lions completed a stunning postseason turnaround on Sunday, dropping the opening game before surging to four consecutive victories to capture the 2026 KBO Korean Series title with a decisive 12-1 rout of the kt wiz in Game 5.

Playing at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park, the 4-1 series triumph marks Samsung's ninth overall championship in franchise history and their first since 2014. It also represents the first time the club has hoisted the championship trophy at their home stadium since it opened in March 2016.

Samsung, who finished the regular season in second place, became the first non-top-seed team to claim the championship since 2018. Meanwhile, kt fell short in their bid for a second integrated title in five years, unable to halt the momentum Samsung built up late in Game 1.

Early Battle and Momentum Shift

The desperate kt squad struck first in the top of the third inning. Following consecutive singles by Han Seung-taek and Kwon Dong-jin, Jang Jin-hyuk opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field.

However, Samsung answered immediately in the bottom half of the frame. With two outs, Koo Ja-wook ignited a four-hit offensive burst with an RBI double off the right-field fence to tie the game 1-1. Lewin Díaz followed with a hard-hit double off the outfield wall to put Samsung ahead 2-1, and Kim Young-woong padded the lead with an RBI single, making it 3-1.

A Historic Fifth Inning

Looking to salvage their championship hopes, kt pulled starting pitcher Davis Daniel and brought in ace Ko Young-pyo in the fourth. Yet, a missed scoring opportunity in the top of the fifth proved costly.

In the bottom of the fifth, Samsung batted around and erupted for eight runs, setting a new Korean Series record with 11 at-bats in a single inning. Consecutive RBI hits from Choi Hyeong-woo and Lee Jae-hyun stretched the lead, compounded by defensive miscues from kt that allowed the floodgates to open and pushed the score out of reach.

Pitching Dominance and MVP Honors

Samsung starter Won Tae-in delivered a solid performance, limiting kt to one run on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings. Manager Park Jin-man then turned to right-hander Chris Fedde out of the bullpen in the sixth. Pitching on four days' rest following a stellar outing in Game 2, Fedde tossed four shutout innings with five strikeouts to earn the save and seal the championship.

Koo Ja-wook was named the Series MVP after batting .500 (10-for-20) with a home run, six RBIs, and five runs scored. The star outfielder captured 72 of the 97 press votes, earning a Kia EV4 vehicle. Additional accolades went to Won Tae-in (Daily MVP) and Lewin Díaz (Best Batting Award), who each received 1 million won.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]