Samsung Beat KT 5-1 to Take Korean Series Lead as Jurado and Koo Deliver

Samsung move two wins from the championship

Ariel Jurado threw seven innings of one run baseball and captain Koo Ja-wook drove in two runs with a triple as the Samsung Lions beat the KT Wiz 5-1 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on November 6, 2026. The victory gave Samsung a 2-1 lead in the Korean Series and put the club two wins from its first championship in 12 years.

Samsung, the regular season runners up, have won twice in succession after losing the opener to regular season champions KT. Their latest victory combined an immediate response to an early deficit, a decisive three run second inning and a solo home run from pinch hitter Park Seung-gyu in the eighth.

The Korean Series is decided by the first team to win four games, with a maximum of seven played. In the 18 previous series that were level at one win apiece after two games, the team that won Game 3 went on to take the championship 16 times, or 88.9%. Samsung now occupy that historically favorable position, while KT need three more victories to their opponents' two.

The next pitching matchup is already set: Samsung rookie Jang Chan-hee will face KT's Logan Allen in Game 4. Samsung manager Park Jin-man is preparing Won Tae-in to return from relief work and start Game 5, a change made necessary by problems elsewhere in the rotation.

KT strike first, Samsung answer immediately

KT opened the scoring in the first inning. Kim Min-hyeok doubled, and Hilliard followed with an RBI double to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. For a lineup missing injured starters Choi Won-jun and Heo Kyoung-min, it was an encouraging beginning.

Samsung answered in the bottom half. With one out and runners on first and second, Choi Hyoung-woo delivered a run scoring single to left field. His hit made it 1-1 and erased KT's advantage before the opening inning was over.

That exchange set the pattern for the night. KT produced their only run immediately, while Samsung turned their next scoring opportunity into a lead they would hold for the rest of the game. Jurado allowed six hits across his seven innings, but KT could not build another scoring inning against him.

Three walks and Koo's triple decide the early contest

KT starter So Hyeong-jun's control problems created Samsung's main opening in the second inning. Three walks helped load the bases with one out, giving the home side a chance to move ahead without first needing a string of hits.

Kim Sung-yoon brought home the go ahead run with an infield groundout, making it 2-1. Koo then struck a triple toward the top of the right field wall, driving in two more runners and extending Samsung's lead to 4-1.

A triple allows the batter to reach third base on the hit. With two teammates already on base, Koo's drive produced two runs at once. Together, his hit and Kim's groundout accounted for three of Samsung's five runs.

So completed six innings and allowed four runs. He kept Samsung from scoring again after the second, giving KT time to respond, but the visiting offense never reduced the deficit. He took the loss, while Jurado earned his first victory of this Korean Series.

Jurado gives a stretched pitching staff seven innings

Jurado threw 108 pitches, struck out six and allowed six hits and one run. He issued no walks and hit no batters, making KT earn their opportunities through contact rather than receiving free trips to first base.

His seven innings covered 21 of the 27 outs Samsung needed. After the first inning, he delivered six scoreless innings, allowing the Lions to protect a three run lead without turning early to their relief pitchers.

Samsung had already relied heavily on Jurado to reach this stage. He won both of his appearances against the KIA Tigers in the preceding playoff series, posting a 1.32 earned run average and winning that series' Most Valuable Player award. Earned run average measures the number of earned runs a pitcher allows per nine innings.

The workload mattered because Samsung had played all five games of the playoff against KIA before beginning the Korean Series. Their relief staff was also operating without injured closer Kim Jae-yoon, the pitcher normally entrusted with protecting leads late in games. Jurado's outing left only two innings for the bullpen to cover.

Park's home run adds breathing room

Samsung's offense went scoreless from the third through the seventh innings before Park Seung-gyu supplied the final run. Entering as a pinch hitter in the eighth, Park hit a solo home run to left center with one out and nobody on base.

The homer was Park's first of this Korean Series and stretched the lead from 4-1 to 5-1. A pinch hitter replaces another batter for a plate appearance; Park made that opportunity count with a hit that carried over the outfield fence.

Kim Tae-hoon protected the lead in the ninth and finished the victory. Catcher Kang Min-ho and Kim celebrated together afterward as Samsung completed a game in which KT scored once in the first and remained scoreless for the next eight innings.

The final scoring line showed how concentrated Samsung's offense had been: one run in the first, three in the second and one in the eighth. Their early rally supplied the winning margin, while Park's late contribution increased the cushion for the final inning.

Won's return to starting duty reshapes the series

Park Jin-man's plans for the remaining games explain why Jurado's long outing was especially useful. Before Game 3, the Samsung manager said Won Tae-in was preparing to start Game 5 after working out of the bullpen during the postseason.

Won had thrown 32 pitches over one and two thirds innings in Game 2 on November 4. He entered with one out and a runner on second in the ninth, then continued into the tenth. Samsung eventually won 3-2 in 12 innings, with Bae Chan-seung handling the final inning.

Samsung kept Won and Chris Paddack unavailable for Game 3 to give them rest. Paddack had also worked seven innings and allowed one run in Game 2. The rotation plan placed him in line for Game 6 if the series reaches that point.

Choi Won-tae's move to relief created the need for the reshuffle. He lasted only two innings in the opener, allowing five runs on 43 pitches as Samsung lost 8-7. He had also exited after one and two thirds innings in his playoff start against KIA.

Choi's postseason struggles extend beyond those two outings. His career postseason earned run average stood at 7.74, rising to 14.14 in Korean Series games. Moving him out of the starting rotation leaves Samsung needing another pitcher to cover the opening innings of Game 4, a responsibility now assigned to Jang.

Bae's progress makes the change possible

Bae Chan-seung's postseason work has given Park another option for protecting late leads. Before Game 3, Bae had allowed one run in five innings across five postseason appearances, including his successful finish to the 12 inning victory in Game 2.

Park linked Bae's improvement to his experience at the Asian Games. The manager said Bae had become more settled after returning and had improved his control, meaning his ability to throw pitches where he intended.

Bae's role now stretches beyond any single inning. Returning Won to the rotation removes one of Samsung's options for difficult situations late in games. Bae, Lee Seung-min and Kim Tae-hoon become more important as the club redistributes that work.

Jang's Game 4 assignment and Won's planned Game 5 start give Samsung a route through the next two contests without asking relief pitchers to carry both games from the opening inning. The length of those starts will determine how much work remains for a bullpen already missing its usual closer.

Injuries narrow the choices for both managers

KT entered Game 3 with Choi Won-jun and Heo Kyoung-min absent from the starting lineup through injury. Other experienced players had also dealt with pain during the opening two games, complicating manager Lee Kang-chul's selection decisions.

Kim Hyun-soo hurt his left thumb while making a defensive play at first base in Game 1. He returned for Game 2 and recorded one hit and one RBI in five at bats, along with a walk, although pain remained. Kim Sang-su struck his heel with a foul ball in the opener and was unable to play in Game 2, even as a pinch hitter. Replacement Ryu Hyun-in went hitless in three at bats.

Kim Min-hyeok experienced hip pain after Game 1 and went hitless in four at bats in Game 2. His opening double in Game 3 helped produce KT's lone run, providing an early contribution from a player whose fitness had been a concern.

Samsung have their own problems. Kang Min-ho has experienced pain in his left side when swinging since Game 2 of the playoff against KIA. Koo entered the postseason with a hamstring injury that had already forced adjustments to his participation.

Koo nevertheless supplied Game 3's decisive extra base hit. No recovery timetable was given for the injured players, leaving both managers to balance immediate needs with the demands of the remaining games.

How the series reached this point

Samsung's lead follows three very different games: a narrow defeat after a large early deficit, a contest that lasted 12 innings and then a victory built on early scoring and a long start from Jurado.

• November 3, Game 1 in Suwon: KT won 8-7. Choi Won-tae allowed five runs in two innings, and Samsung's comeback from an 8-0 deficit fell one run short.
• November 4, Game 2 in Suwon: Samsung won 3-2 in 12 innings. KT's Ko Young-pyo and Samsung's Chris Paddack each allowed one run over seven innings.
• November 6, Game 3 in Daegu: Samsung won 5-1 behind Jurado's seven innings, Koo's two run triple and Park Seung-gyu's solo homer.
• Next assignments: Logan Allen will start Game 4 for KT against Samsung rookie Jang Chan-hee. Won Tae-in is preparing to start Game 5 for Samsung.

Ko remains an important part of KT's pitching strength. He finished the regular season with 15 wins, seven losses and a 3.28 earned run average across 29 appearances, sharing the league lead in wins. Against Samsung, he went 3-1 with a 2.25 earned run average in four starts and issued no walks in 24 innings.

His Game 2 performance, like So's scoreless work after the second inning of Game 3, gave KT opportunities to stay close. Turning that pitching into victories now requires more scoring from an offense that managed only one run in Daegu.

Key Points

• Samsung beat KT 5-1 on November 6 to lead the Korean Series 2-1.
• Jurado allowed one run in seven innings, with six strikeouts and no walks.
• Koo's two run triple helped Samsung build a 4-1 lead in the second inning.
• Pinch hitter Park Seung-gyu added a solo home run in the eighth.
• Samsung need two more wins for the championship; KT need three.
• Jang Chan-hee and Logan Allen are the announced Game 4 starters.