2010 Korean Series

The 2010 Korean Series was the 28th Korean Series. The SK Wyverns took their third title in four years, sweeping the Samsung Lions. It was the sixth sweep and first since 2005. Jung-kwon Park was named MVP after hitting .294 with a homer and six RBI.

The Teams

SK Wyverns

The SK Wyverns won the 2007 Korean Series and 2008 Korean Series and lost the 2009 Korean Series in seven games. They had the best regular season record in the 2010 KBO at 84-47-2. They were third in runs scored (704) but first in fewest runs allowed (545). The ace starters were Kwang-hyun Kim (17-7, 2.37, 183 K) and C.J. Nitkowski (14-7, 3.22, 143 K). The 22-year-old Kim led in wins and was second in ERA and strikeouts while 37-year-old Nitkowski was third in ERA, fourth in strikeouts and tied for fourth in wins. Tae-hyon Chong (4-1, 4 Sv, 1.40) and Eun-beom Song (8-5, 8 Sv, 2.30) were very good relievers. The balanced offense had almost no one among the top 5 in any major category. Jung Choi (.300/.396/.533, 31 2B, 20 HR) was 5th in slugging and Keun-woo Jeong (.305/.377/.375, 33 SB) was among the top 5 in swipes. Also productive were Kang-min Kim (.317/.369/.449) and Jung-kwon Park (.306/.398/.494, 18 HR). They were managed by Sung-keun Kim.

Samsung Lions

The Samsung Lions won titles in 1985, 2002, 2005 and 2006. They went 79-52-2, second-best behind SK, then they beat the Doosan Bears 3 games to 2 in the semifinals. They outscored their opponents 681-575, allowing the second-fewest runs after SK. Key hurlers were Hyuk Kwon (7-1, 4 Sv, 2.09), Woo-chan Cha (10-2, 2.14, the best winning percentage in the KBO) and Ji-man An (9-3, 9 Sv, 2.74). The main offensive providers were Seok-min Park (.303/.440/.480, 91 BB, second in the league in OBP), Han-lee Park (.301/.413/.454) and Hyung-woo Choi (.279/.389/.524, 24 HR, 4th in the KBO with 97 RBI). They were managed by Dong-yeol Sun.

The Games

• October 15: SK 9, Samsung 5. SK got going quickly off Samsung starter Tim Redding. Wyverns leadoff man Keun-woo Jeong reached on an error and came around on two singles. In the third, Joo-hwan Na singled. Redding made an error on a pick-off attempt. A sacrifice hit and sacrifice fly made it 2-0. Meanwhile, Kwang-hyun Kim struck out eight of the first nine.

Samsung got into the game in the 5th. C Kab-yong Jin drew a walk from Kim, then Myung-chul Shin doubled. After another walk, a sacrifice fly and a Kim wild pitch, it was 2-2. Han-lee Park singled in Shin for a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, the Wyverns got the lead back and for good. Redding began by walking Jeong. Dong-yol Sun replaced him with Hyuk Kwon, who issued a four-pitch walk. It was his only batter faced, yet he took the loss; Sun would wind up using 8 pitchers. Jae-hyun Kim's 2-run single was the big blow in a 3-run inning for a 5-3 edge.

A Samsung homer in the 6th closed it to 5-4 in the top of the inning, but in the bottom of the frame, SK built up insurance. Jeong singled and stole second, then LF Jae-sang Park doubled him in. RF Jung-kwon Park drilled a 2-run homer and Jae-hyun Kim singled for a 9-4 lead. In the 8th, Samsung got another homer, but it was not enough. Woo-ram Jeong got the win.

• October 16: SK 4, Samsung 1. Seung-ho Lee had a horrid start for the Wyverns, lasting just 1 2/3 innings and allowing a run before getting yanked in front of the home crowd at Munhak Stadium. His bullpen, though, turned in a gem, with four relievers shutting down the Lions the rest of the way. In the 4th, Jung Choi, a former Series MVP, tied it with a dinger off Woo-chan Cha with a man aboard. In the 6th, Choi again took Cha deep. Veteran C Kyung-wan Park homered off Hyuk Kwon in the 9th to cap the scoring.

• October 18: SK 4, Samsung 2. Pitcher Young-soo Bae gave Samsung a rough beginning. In the first, Ho-jun Lee grounded in Keun-woo Jeong with one run, then Jae-hyun Kim coaxed a bases-loaded walk. Bae and his bullpen would allow nothing further the remainder of the way, though. SK starter Ken Kadokura also struggled, as the Japanese veteran walked four and allowed one run in two innings. He was yanked in the top of the third and would be succeeded by six other relievers, who fared much better collectively.

After the first, both offenses went limp for the next six frames. In the 8th, Samsung reliever Ji-man An gave up two runs, with a Jung-kwon Park double being the big blow. They got one more run in the 9th to lock it up and move one win from the Series title.

• October 19: SK 4, Samsung 2. Gary Glover made his first appearance since August and blanked Samsung for four innings. Won-sam Jang matched him for three, but in the 4th, he loaded the bases, then walked in a run. Jung-kwon Park doubled him two, then Kyung-wan Park doubled in another in the 5th and it was 4-0. After Glover, SK turned to five relievers to wrap up the game. Byung-doo Jun got the win and Kwang-hyun Kim the save (after getting the last five outs in a rare relief appearance).