1990 Korean Series

The 1990 Korean Series was the 8th Korean Series. Through 2013, it is the most recent Series to feature two first-time entries, the LG Twins and Samsung Lions (Samsung won the 1985 KBO title, the one year no Series was held).

LG had finished first in the 1990 KBO regular season at 71-49 under manager Jinten Haku. Only one of their players won a KBO Gold Glove as the best overall performer at his position, C Dong-soo Kim (.290/.379/.463). Kim also won the KBO Rookie of the Year. Chan-yeop No (.333/.403/.450) and Sang-hun Kim (.322/.387/.453) also wielded potent bats, while the top pitchers were Yong-soo Kim (12-5, 5 Sv, 2.04), Tae-won Kim (18-5, Sv, 2.51) and Sam-heun Jeong (8-9, 23 Sv, 2.78).

Samsung was fourth in the regular season at 66-52-2 for skipper Dong-jin Jeong. They topped the Binggrae Eagles and Haitai Tigers in the playoffs to advance to the finals. They had two Gold Glove winners, 2B Ki-woong Kang (.303/.365/.469) and DH Seung-ho Pak (.307/.384/.505, 20 HR, 75 RBI). Man-soo Lee (.287/.386/.540, 26 HR), Jong-doo Lee (.295/.386/.447) and Jung-il Ryu (.311/.394/.428, 23 SB, 70 R) all did their share on offense as well. None of their regular pitchers had an ERA as good as LG's top 3, with their best three hurlers being Sang-yeop Kim (12-6, 18 Sv, 2.81), Tae-il Lee (13-6, 3.50) and Sung-kil Kim (13-6, 3 Sv, 3.79).

On October 24, at Jamsil Stadium, LG opened with a 13-0 romp to set the tone for the Series. Yong-soo Kim tossed 4-hit ball over 8 innings while LG pounded out a record 21 hits. Jun Sung took the loss. The next day, it was closer, a 3-2, 11-inning win for the Twins, Sam-heun Jeong getting the win over Tae-il Lee. Seung-ho Pak homered for the losing side. On October 27 in Daegu, LG won again, 3-2, again beating Jun Sung. Ki-bum Kim was the winning pitcher and Sam-heun Jeong the save. A Man-soo Lee two-run homer in the 9th prevented a shutout. On October 28, LG completed the sweep with a 6-2 victory. Yong-soo Kim won again to pick up the Korean Series MVP, beating Sang-yeop Kim.

Primary Source: Korean Wikipedia