The KT Wiz and Samsung Lions opened Game 1 of the Korean Series on Tuesday. The Wiz hosted the opener in Suwon after winning the regular-season title and earning an automatic berth in the Korean Series. The Lions advanced after surviving a series against the KIA Tigers. Wiz ace Davis Daniel got the start for KT, while the Lions turned to their No. 3 starter, Won-tae Choi.
After a scoreless top of the first, the explosive KT offense went to work in the bottom half. With one out and runners on first and second, Hyun-min Ahn drew a walk before KBO MVP candidate Sam Hilliard delivered a two-run double off the left-field wall to give the Wiz a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Sang-su Kim reached on an infield single, scoring Hilliard to make it 3-0.
The Wiz added to their lead in the bottom of the third. After Min-hyuck Kim led off the inning with a double, designated hitter Hyun-min Ahn delivered his first career postseason home run in his first postseason game, sending a pitch over the left-field fence. The homer chased Choi from the game after another rough postseason start and extended KT’s lead to 5-0.
With a 5-0 lead in the fifth, the Wiz continued to showcase their power. With two outs, Seung-taek Han hit a solo home run over the left-center-field fence to make it 6-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hilliard reached on an infield single that was initially ruled an out before a successful review overturned the call. The Wiz then went to work with the long ball once again. KBO legend Hyun-soo Kim hit a two-run homer over the right-field fence to extend the lead to 8-0. With an eight-run advantage and their ace on the mound, it appeared the Wiz had all but put the game away. Samsung had other plans.
After allowing a two-out single in the second inning, Daniel retired 13 consecutive batters to get through the sixth. However, the Lions finally broke through in the seventh. Following a leadoff single, Ja-wook Koo hit an opposite-field, two-run homer to get Samsung on the board and cut the deficit to 8-2.
The Lions were far from finished. Lewin Díaz followed with a single, chasing Daniel from the game. Logan Allen entered and allowed consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Ji-hyuk Ryu brought home the third run of the inning with an RBI groundout.
The Wiz went to the bullpen again, and after a strikeout, Jae-hyeon Lee narrowly missed a three-run homer that hooked foul. Reliever Dong-hyun Son was replaced during the at-bat following the foul ball. His replacement, Jung-woon Kim, then surrendered a two-run single to Lee off the wall, cutting KT’s lead to 8-5.
The score remained 8-5 entering the eighth, but the Lions continued to put pressure on the Wiz bullpen. The first two batters reached base before a strikeout. Seong-yoon Kim followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 8-6. After a walk and a flyout, the Lions moved another run across on a wild pitch.
After falling behind 8-0 through six innings, Samsung had scored seven unanswered runs and brought the tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position. However, Yeong-hyun Park recorded a flyout to left field, allowing the Wiz to narrowly escape the eighth with a one-run lead.
Park returned for the ninth and struck out the side to earn the save, securing an 8-7 victory for the Wiz in an absolutely thrilling Game 1 of the Korean Series