DAEGU — With his KT Wiz trailing the Samsung Lions 2-1 in the best-of-seven Korean Series, manager Lee Kang-chul on Saturday demanded more from his All-Star slugger Ahn Hyun-min. After three games, Ahn is just 2-for-13 with four strikeouts and two walks at the plate. He won the 2025 Rookie of the Year award in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) after hitting 22 homers and driving in 80 runs. This year, despite being slowed by injuries, Ahn still smacked 14 homers in 94 games. In both years, he had an on-base percentage of over .440, including his league-leading mark of .448 in 2025. His .267 on-base percentage in the Korean Series leaves a lot to be desired for the Wiz, especially because Ahn has batted in front of Sam Hilliard, the regular-season RBI leader with 139, who is also leading the Wiz with three RBIs in the Korean Series. "Hilliard is in great form, but we need Hyun-min to get on base more often in front of him to give him RBI opportunities," Lee said before Game 4 of the series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. "Because Hyun-min is not reachi

DAEGU — Samsung Lions starting pitcher Chris Paddack is a proud Texan. The Austin native dons a full suit, completed with a cowboy hat and boots, on the day of his starts, and he once even asked his team interpreter to put on a suit himself earlier in the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. Paddack also takes pride in his work ethic and his ability to rise to the occasion in key spots. The 30-year-old right-hander has been just the type of postseason workhorse that teams need to win championships, and thanks in large part to Paddack, the Lions are sitting two wins away from capturing their first Korean Series title since 2014. They lead the best-of-seven championship battle 2-1. Paddack threw 295 pitches in a recent 10-day span. He made his KBO postseason debut Oct. 26 in Game 1 of the previous series against the Kia Tigers, making 94 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Then he started Game 4 of that series on three days' rest on Oct. 30, throwing 99 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. On Wednesday, he got the ball in Game 2 of the Korean Series, and he threw 102 pitches in seven inni

DAEGU — The Samsung Lions will send their homegrown ace Won Tae-in to the mound in their first crack at clinching the 2026 Korean Series title Sunday. The Lions lead the KT Wiz 3-1 in the best-of-seven battle, following a 10-5 win in Game 4 on Saturday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The fifth game, set for 2 p.m. Sunday in Daegu, will be the first elimination game of the series. Won will make his first start for the Lions this postseason after making three relief appearances in the previous series against the Kia Tigers and another in Game 2 of the Korean Series on Wednesday. Won, a career starter, was thrust into the bullpen role after the Lions' All-Star closer Kim Jae-yoon suffered an upper body injury in October that knocked him out of the postseason. In that game, Won gave up two hits and one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings. With his pregame routine as a starting pitcher all thrown out of whack, Won admitted his body is not in optimal form. "But my goal is to pitch as well as I can regardless of the situation," Won said Saturday. "My focus will be on ta

DAEGU — At the tender age of 19, Samsung Lions starter Jang Chan-hee helped put his team on the verge of their first Korean Series title in a dozen years Saturday with a better-than-expected performance. Jang held the KT Wiz to a run on two hits in four rock solid innings, as the Lions prevailed 10-5 in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Lions lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, and can clinch the championship in Game 5 scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday in Daegu. At 19 years, one month and two days old, became the second youngest pitcher to start a Korean Series game. Before the game, Lions manager Park Jin-man said he hoped Jang would pitch with the level of energy and fearlessness that he had shown during the regular season. Jang had a rocky first inning, though, as he surrendered a solo home run to Jang Jin-hyuk on just his ninth pitch of the game. He walked the next batter but escaped the inning with no further damage. Jang's teammates then staked him to a 6-1 lead, as they batted around and roughed up starter Logan Allen to the tu

DAEGU — The Samsung Lions are a win away from capturing the South Korean baseball championship. The Lions defeated the KT Wiz 10-5 in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Saturday, taking the 3-1 stranglehold on the best-of-seven battle. The Lions can clinch their first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) title in 12 years with a victory in Game 5 scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. On the 19 previous occasions when a team went down 3-1 in the Korean Series, only the 2013 Lions rallied to win the championship. After allowing a run in the top of the first inning, the Lions responded with a six-spot in the bottom first en route to their third straight victory in this series. No. 2 hitter Park Seung-kyu drove in three runs, and the 19-year-old starter Jang Chan-hee gave the Lions four innings of one-run ball. Reliever Lee Jae-hee worked 2 2/3 perfect innings. The teams combined for 19 walks and hit-by-pitches, the most ever in a Korean Series game. The Wiz took a 1-0 lead on just the ninth pitch of the game, as No. 2 hitter Jang Jin-hyuk smoked

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