Samsung Beats KT 10-5 to Move One Win From First Korean Series Title Since 2014

Six runs in the first put Samsung on the brink

Samsung scored six runs in the first inning, received four steady innings from a rookie aged 19 and survived a bullpen scare to beat the KT Wiz 10-5 on November 7 in Daegu. The victory gave the Lions a 3-1 lead in the 2026 Korean Series and a chance to secure their first championship since 2014.

Game 5 is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, November 8, at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Samsung will start Won Tae-in against Davis Daniel, the pitcher who delivered KT's only victory of the series. In the contest requiring four wins from a maximum of seven games, Samsung needs one more victory; KT must win three in succession.

Park Seung-kyu collected three hits and drove in three runs, while reliever Lee Jae-hee retired every batter he faced after entering with the bases loaded in the fifth. Their contributions helped Samsung win its third straight game after losing the opener.

The afternoon also produced an unusual collection of records. Samsung's six runs were the most scored in the bottom of the first inning in KBO postseason history. The teams combined for a Korean Series record of 19 walks and hit batters, including five walks issued by Samsung in the fifth inning alone.

A crowd of 23,550 filled the ballpark, extending the postseason sellout streak to 50 games and the Korean Series streak to 25. Those spectators can now return Sunday with the possibility of watching Samsung claim the ninth championship in franchise history.

How Samsung turned an early deficit into control

KT struck first when Jang Jin-hyuk hit a solo home run on rookie starter Jang Chan-hee's ninth pitch. Samsung answered with an inning in which 11 batters came to the plate and all six runs scored after two outs.

Kim Ji-chan singled and Koo Ja-wook walked before Lewin Diaz delivered the single that tied the score at 1-1. Kim Young-woong followed with another scoring single, putting Samsung ahead. A walk to Lee Jae-hyeon loaded the bases, and Ryu Ji-hyuk was hit by a pitch to force home another run.

Kim Do-hwan then doubled to right field, bringing all three runners home for a 6-1 lead. KT right fielder Ahn Hyun-min struggled to track the ball in the bright afternoon conditions and failed to make the catch. The play was credited as a double.

Kim was starting behind the plate in place of Kang Min-ho, who has been playing through pain around his side and abdomen. His contribution gave Samsung a large lead without requiring its injured veteran catcher to start.

KT starter Logan Allen lasted only three outs. He allowed five hits, three walks, one hit batter and six runs, throwing 48 pitches before being removed after Koo opened the second inning with a single. KT manager Lee Kang-chul said Allen had been too cautious against the middle of Samsung's lineup.

A rookie handles the championship stage

Jang Chan-hee finished with one run allowed on two hits and two walks across four innings. He struck out one and threw 63 pitches, recovering from the early home run to keep KT from building another rally.

At 19 years, one month and two days old, Jang became the second youngest pitcher to start a Korean Series game. He was also the ninth rookie arriving directly from high school to make such a start, and the first rookie starter in the series since Doosan's Im Tae-hoon in 2007.

Samsung selected Jang in the third round of the 2026 draft, with the 29th pick. He appeared in 41 regular season games, including nine starts, and finished with four wins, five losses and a 4.50 earned run average. That measure describes how many runs attributable to a pitcher he allows per nine innings.

Jang retired KT in order in both the second and third innings. In the fourth, a walk to Sam Hilliard and a single by Kim Hyun-soo put two runners aboard with one out, but he escaped with two flyouts.

Manager Park Jin-man removed him with Samsung leading 7-1. Park explained afterward that the separation between Jang's balls and strikes had become more noticeable in the fourth and that he preferred to finish the outing while the rookie was pitching well. Jang fell one inning short of the five required for a starter to qualify for the pitching win.

Five walks bring KT back into the game

Samsung's decision to turn to the bullpen created the afternoon's most dangerous moment. Satoshi Miyamori allowed a single to Han Seung-taek and then walked Ryu Hyun-in and Choi Won-jun, loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth.

Bae Chan-seung replaced him and allowed a run on Jang Jin-hyuk's groundout. Bae then walked three consecutive batters. The final two walks came with every base occupied, forcing home two more runs and cutting Samsung's lead to 7-4.

KT needed only one hit to score three times in the inning. Samsung's five walks set a KBO postseason record for a single inning, and the bases were still loaded with only one out when Lee Jae-hee took over.

Lee struck out Kim Sang-su and retired Heo Kyoung-min on an infield fly. He used seven consecutive fastballs to secure those two outs, leaving the tying run on base and giving Samsung a chance to rebuild its lead.

Lee and Kang restore order

Lee continued through the sixth and seventh innings, completing 2 2/3 perfect innings with four strikeouts. He retired all eight batters he faced, earned his first Korean Series victory and was selected as the game's daily most valuable player.

Kang Min-ho entered at catcher alongside Lee during the fifth inning crisis. Lee said the veteran encouraged him to trust his pitches and challenge hitters rather than try to place every delivery perfectly.

Lee Jae-hee, the Samsung reliever who missed the 2025 postseason while recovering from an elbow injury, described the advice afterward:

He said it didn't matter if I gave up a hit. He just wanted me to attack the zone and get quick outs. Hearing that from him, I felt more confident in my pitches. I would have rather given up a solo home run than walk another batter.

Lee threw 25 of his 33 pitches for strikes. His selection included 19 fastballs, nine sliders and five forkballs, but the direct approach with his fastball ended KT's best opportunity to draw level.

Park Jin-man also identified Lee as the game's most valuable player because he stopped the rally and then covered two more innings. Lee, in turn, credited Jang Chan-hee for handling the pressure of the start and giving Samsung its early foundation.

Park Seung-kyu answers every threat

Park Seung-kyu supplied Samsung's seventh run with a single in the third inning. After KT closed to 7-4, he delivered the immediate response in the bottom of the fifth, driving a double against the left field wall to score two runners.

Park singled again in the seventh and scored on Koo Ja-wook's double, making it 10-4. KT's Kim Min-hyuck hit a solo home run in the eighth off Kim Tae-hoon, but Lee Seung-min pitched a scoreless ninth to finish the victory.

Park went 3-for-4 and finished the game batting .500 in the series, with six hits in 12 at-bats. His on-base percentage was .538 and his slugging percentage .833. Those figures describe how often he reaches base and how much his hits produce in total bases.

Koo, Samsung's captain, was batting .467 with five runs batted in, the most on the team. He has continued to contribute despite a hamstring injury late in the regular season that limits his running. Kim Ji-chan also reached base four times in Game 4, while Lee Jae-hyeon drew four walks.

Park Seung-kyu, the Samsung outfielder now in contention for the series MVP award, said his preference was a team celebration:

But I want to win the title more than I want to win the MVP. I just want to win the championship and have Ja-wook take the MVP honor.

KT's control problems reverse a season of strength

KT issued nine walks in Game 4 and hit three batters. Its total of 12 walks and hit batters set a Korean Series record for one team, passing the OB Bears' mark of 11 from 1982.

Samsung contributed seven walks, bringing the combined total to 19. That surpassed the previous Korean Series record of 17, set by Samsung and Haitai in Game 1 in 1986. The 16 combined walks, excluding hit batters, also tied the postseason record.

KT's sudden difficulty throwing strikes stands out against its regular season performance. The club allowed a league low of 451 walks in 144 games, about 3.13 per game. Through four Korean Series games, it had issued 21, or 5.25 per game. Its nine walks Saturday were nearly three times its regular season average.

Lee Kang-chul, KT's manager, accepted responsibility for the loss of control:

I just think the pitchers are lacking confidence at this point. This is all on me.

Kim Hyun-soo provided a personal milestone amid KT's defeat. He played his 110th postseason game, passing Hong Sung-heun's record of 109, and his fourth inning single extended his Korean Series hitting streak to 11 games, matching the record.

Won and Daniel take the ball for Game 5

Won Tae-in will make his first start of this postseason after three relief appearances against the Kia Tigers and another in Game 2 of the Korean Series. Samsung moved the career starter into relief after closer Kim Jae-yoon suffered an upper body injury in October that ended his postseason.

Won allowed one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings in Game 2. He said the unfamiliar routine had left him short of his best physical condition, and he chose an extra day of rest after feeling sluggish while playing catch Friday.

Won Tae-in, Samsung's scheduled Game 5 starter, explained his approach:

But my goal is to pitch as well as I can regardless of the situation. My focus will be on taking it one batter and one inning at a time.

Daniel gives KT a pitcher who has already beaten Samsung in this series. He allowed three earned runs on five hits over six innings in Game 1, striking out seven without issuing a walk or hitting a batter. At one stage he retired 13 consecutive hitters.

Sunday will be Daniel's first appearance at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. He allowed only two home runs in 55 regular season innings and said he would try to keep the ball on the ground in a stadium that favors hitters.

Both managers are preparing to use starters in relief if needed. Park said every available pitcher would be considered, with decisions on Chris Paddack and Ariel Jurado still pending. Lee said Go Young-pyo and So Hyeong-jun could support Daniel if their physical condition allowed.

Three straight wins change the series

Samsung reached the Korean Series after playing five playoff games against Kia. KT advanced directly as the regular season champion and had roughly three weeks between the end of its season and the championship series.

The main dates show how quickly the advantage shifted:

• November 3: Daniel won Game 1 for KT in Suwon.
• November 4: Samsung won Game 2 to level the series.
• November 6: Samsung won Game 3 in Daegu to take the lead.
• November 7: The Lions won Game 4, 10-5, moving ahead 3-1.
• November 8: Game 5 is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Daegu.

KT faces a recovery achieved only once before in Korean Series history: Samsung itself overturned a 3-1 deficit in 2013. The Wiz now need Daniel to extend the series and their lineup to turn scoring opportunities into more than brief rallies.

Park Jin-man, Samsung's manager, warned that the lead required another complete performance:

We are getting close but in the postseason, one game can be a turning point and then you never know what can happen after that. We are not going to let our guard down. We will do our best to finish the series tomorrow.

Key Points

• Samsung beat KT 10-5 in Game 4 and leads the Korean Series 3-1.
• The Lions can secure their first title since 2014 and ninth championship with one more win.
• Rookie Jang Chan-hee allowed one run in four innings; Lee Jae-hee retired all eight batters he faced in relief.
• Park Seung-kyu delivered three hits and three runs batted in.
• The teams set a Korean Series record with 19 combined walks and hit batters.
• Won Tae-in will face Davis Daniel in Game 5 at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 8, in Daegu.