Yoo Jee‑ho of Yonhap reported that the Samsung Lions secured a 10‑5 win over the KT Wiz in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on Saturday, giving the Lions a 3‑1 series advantage and one win away from their first Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) championship in 12 years. The victory, which unfolded at 3 p.m. local time, capped a game that featured a spectacular homer from Jang Jin‑hyuk for the Wiz and a historic 6‑run opening inning by the Lions.
Jang Chan‑hee, the 19‑year‑old starter for the Lions, survived a shaky beginning when he surrendered a solo homer to Jang Jin‑hyuk on his ninth pitch but then pitched four solid innings, allowing only one run on two hits. He became the second youngest pitcher to start a Korean Series game, and Lions manager Park Jin‑man had expressed confidence that Jang would pitch with the energy and fearlessness he showed during the regular season. Jang’s performance kept the Lions in control, feeding into a trio of productive outs that followed early in the middle innings.
The most explosive part of the game occurred in the bottom of the first when the Lions stepped to the plate with two outs and belted six runs against starting pitcher Logan Allen. After a single and a walk loaded the bases, Lewin Diaz was credited with a single that tied the game at 1‑1. Kim Young‑woong then drove in a run with a single through the left‑field hole, and a subsequent walk by Lee Jae‑hyeon loaded the bases again. Allen then hit Ryu Ji‑hyuk’s elbow guard with a pitch, forcing in a run to make it 3‑1. Kim Do‑hwan followed with a bases‑clearing double that pushed the Lions to a 6‑1 lead. The 11‑batter barrage, the highest ever in a bottom‑first inning of KBO postseason play, set the tone for the remainder of the game.
The game’s later innings saw the Wiz rally once more, scoring three runs in the fifth inning without recording a hit. Satoshi Miyamori loaded the bases with a single and two walks, then Bae Chan‑seung gave up a run on a groundout, and he walked three straight batters, allowing two freestanding runs that made the score 7‑4. Relief pitcher Lee Jae‑hee was summoned to quell the surge; he struck out Kim Sang‑su and retired Heo Kyoung‑min on an infield pop‑fly, then pitched two perfect innings while recording three strikeouts and leaning on a fastball‑slider mix.
Overall, the game featured an astonishing 19 walks and hit‑by‑pitches, the most ever recorded in a Korean Series game. Park Seung‑kyu, the Lions’ No. 2 hitter, drove in three runs during the contest. Despite the fireworks that lit the opening inning, Jang Chan‑hee’s early misstep and the subsequent runs allowed from the bullpen forced the Lions to rely on their pitching depth in order to maintain control and close the game on a 10‑5 margin.
In reflecting on the series, Yonhap noted that on the 19 previous occasions when a team faced a 3‑1 deficit in the Korean Series, only the 2013 Lions managed to rally to a championship. The current result places the Kang‑Nam‑dong region Lions, who are seeking a title for the first time since 2014, in a rare, potentially decisive position. The Lions’ next challenge will come on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Daegu, when Game 5 will determine whether they can convert the opportunity into a historic comeback and secure their first Korean Series cup in a decade and a half.
