2013 Korean Series

The 2013 Korean Series was the 31st Korean Series. The Samsung Lions beat the Doosan Bears to become the second team to win three straight titles. Samsung right fielder Han-lee Park was named Korean Series MVP after 5 runs and 5 RBI in the final 3 games to overcome a 1-for-14 start.

The Teams

Doosan Bears

The Doosan Bears had finished 4th in the 2013 KBO regular season (71-51-3) under manager Jin-wook Kim then beat both the Nexen Heroes and LG Twins in the playoffs; they had only finished two games behind first-place Samsung in the regular season, though, not making this as much of a mismatch as it may have seemed. They were led at the plate by Tae-kyun Kim (.319/.387/.480, 5th in average), Won-seok Lee (.314/.385/.473), Hyun-soo Kim (.302/.382/.470, 90 RBI) and Sung-heon Hong (.299/.379/.439). Dustin Nippert (12-4, 3.58), Hee-kwan Yoo (10-7, 3.53) and Kyung-eun Noh (10-10, 3.84, 3rd with 153 K) were the top starters while Sang-sam Hong (5-4, 5 Sv, 2.50) and Hyoun-taek Oh (5-3, 5 Sv, 2.70) led the bullpen.

Samsung Lions

The Samsung Lions, managed by Jung-il Ryu, had won the 2011 Korean Series and 2012 Korean Series then finished with the best regular-season record in 2013 (73-51-2). Tae-in Chae (.381/.459/.542) would easily have won the batting title had he qualified, while Hyung-woo Choi (.305/.366/.530, 29 HR, 80 R, 98 RBI) was second in RBI and homers and third in slugging. Seok-min Park (.318/.425/.515) was 4th in both OBP and slugging. Young-soo Bae (14-4, 4.71) tied for the win lead despite a lofty ERA while Seung-hwan Yoon (13-8, 3.27) was 5th in ERA and tied for third in wins and Won-sam Jang (13-10, 4.38) also tied for 3rd in wins. Veteran closer Seung-hwan Oh remained excellent (4-1, 28 Sv, 1.74).

The Games

Game 1 - October 24

Doosan 7, Samsung 2.

3B Seok-min Park got Samsung going with a 1st-inning homer off Kyeung-eun Noh, but Noh allowed only 3 hits and no more runs before leaving in the 7th, by which time Doosan had pulled way ahead. In the 2nd, DH Sung-heon Hong had a one-out single off Seung-hwan Yoon; 2B Jae-won Oh walked. C Jae-hoon Choi singled home Hong to tie it. SS Si-hyun Son singled, as did Jong-wook Lee for a 3-1 lead. LF Hyun-soo Kim homered off Yoon to open the 5th. 1B Joon-seok Choi and Hong both singled and 3B Won-seok Lee cracked a two-run triple for a 6-1 edge. Yoon left with 10 hits and 6 runs in 4 1/3 IP. Son homered off reliever Yong-woon Shin for the Bears' last run. In the bottom of the 8th, Samsung challenged by loading the bases for slugger Hyung-woo Choi but Jae-hoon Jung struck him out.

Game 2 - October 25

Bears 5, Lions 1.

In the longest postseason game in the KBO to this point (5 hours, 32 minutes, 17 minutes longer than Game 6 of the 2006 Korean Series), Doosan won again on the road at Daegu Stadium. Both import starters were superb as American Dustin Nippert pitched 6 shutout innings (3 H, 3 BB, 4 K) for Doosan and his opponent, Dutchman Rick Vanden Hurk, was just as sharp (5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K). The first run didn't come until the 8th when 3B Jae-ho Kim singled in a run with two outs for Doosan. In the bottom of the 8th, 1B Tae-in Chae had a RBI single off Sang-sam Hong. Samsung had a chance to get more runs with two men in scoring position but 2B Tae-wan Kim grounded out against Derek Hankins.

Samsung had more chances in extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, they drew three walks with one out to bring up 2012 Korean Series MVP Seung-yeop Lee, the all-time KBO home run king. Myung-jun Yoon got Lee to ground into a force play at home, then PH Dong-kyun Woo popped out to short. In the 11th, the Lions again loaded the bases, but backup 2B Myung-gu Kang grounded out against Jae-hoon Jung (who would get the win with 1 2/3 shutout innings). Meanwhile, two-time Korean Series MVP Seung-hwan Oh (career playoff ERA of 1.30, no losses coming in) had struck out 8 of 12 for Samsung as they were dominating the extra frames.

That all changed in the 13th. Backup 1B Jae-il Oh knocked a first-pitch fastball from Oh out of the park, his first career postseason homer. Samsung tried Chang-min Shim to stop further bleeding but it backfired as he gave up 3 unearned runs, with an error by Chae and a two-run single by SS Si-hyun Son the big plays. Chung let one man on in the bottom of the 13th but that was it.

Game 3 - October 27

Lions 3, Bears 2.

Samsung won its first game of the Series in the unfriendly confines of Jamsil Baseball Stadium. South Korean president Geun-hye Park threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Samsung went ahead in the 4th against Hee-kwan Yoo. 3B Seok-min Park doubled. Pitching coach Myung-won Chung visited the mound. SS Si-hyun Son made an error on a grounder by LF Hyung-woo Choi, scoring Park. A sacrifice fly by DH Ji-young Lee made it 2-0. When manager Jin-wook Kim came out of the dugout to argue the sacrifice fly, the Bears were ruled to have made two visits to the mound in an inning, forcing Yoo's early exit from the game.

Samsung made it 3-0 in the 7th. RF Han-lee Park reached on an error by 2B Jae-won Oh, advanced on a sacrifice fly, stole third base and scored on a wild pitch from Sang-sam Hong. Meanwhile, Won-sam Jang was cruising, blanking Doosan for the first six innings on only two hits. In the 7th, he faded, giving up a homer to DH Seung-heon Hong. Oh doubled and Jang was replaced by Ji-man An, who gave up a single to Son to score Oh and make it 3-2, the final score.

A surprise was in store in the 9th when Seung-hwan Oh was summoned despite 53 pitches two days earlier. The closer got 1B Joon-seok Choi on a grounder then fanned Seung-heon Hong and C Eui-ji Yang to end it.

Game 4 - October 28

Bears 2, Lions 1.

The home team finally won a game as Doosan got great pitching to go up 3 games to 1 in the Series. They started quickly off Young-soo Bae. RF Soo-bin Jung laid down a one-out bunt single, LF Hyun-soo Kim walked and DH Joon-seok Choi doubled home Jeong. 1B Jae-il Oh drew a walk, then C Eui-ji Yang hit a sacrifice fly to give Doosan all the runs they would need. Samsung reliever Woo-chan Cha shut them out for 6 1/3 innings after Bae left in the 2nd but it was a wasted effort. Meanwhile, Jae-woo Lee was excellent, fanning 8 in 5 innings (2 H, 3 BB) for Doosan and Derek Hankins tossed 2 2/3 shutout innings. In the top of the 9th, Samsung finally got on the board, having been held to 3 hits until then. LF Hyung-woo Choi led off with a double off Jae-hoon Jung and 3B Seok-min Park walked. DH Seung-yeop Lee grounded out to fall to 2-for-15 one year after being Series MVP. RF Han-lee Park was intentionally walked to load the bases. 19-year-old SS Hyeon Jeong hit a sacrifice fly to close it to 2-1. That brought up veteran catcher Kab-yong Jin, three times voted the best backstop in the KBO and a two-time Olympian. Reliever Myung-jun Yoon got him to ground to SS Si-hyun Son to end the game, though.

Game 5 - October 29

Lions 7, Bears 5.

Samsung sent the Series back to their home as their offense woke up, doubling their run total for the Series. 1B Tae-in Chae started it with a two-run 1st-inning homer off Kyung-eun Noh. LF Hyung-woo Choi, DH Seung-yeop Lee, 3B Seok-min Park and 2B Tae-wan Kim connected for four straight singles for a 3-0 lead. DH Joon-seok Choi got Doosan on the board in the 2nd with a homer off Seung-hwan Yoon. Hyung-woo Choi countered with a home run of his own in the top of 3rd for a 4-1 lead.

Doosan tied it in the bottom of the 3rd. CF Jong-wook Lee and RF Soo-bin Jung reached and Lee came home on a single from Joon-seok Choi. 1B Jae-il Oh then cracked a two-run double to knock out Yoon. Things quieted down somewhat after that. In the top of the 5th, Seok-min Park singled in a run; he would go 2 for 2 with 3 walks on the day. In the bottom of the 5th, Joon-seok Choi homered again, this time off Ji-man An to tie it again.

Samsung went ahead for good in the top of the 8th against Myung-jun Yoon. C Kab-yong Jin and SS Byoung-gon Jung, the #8 and 9 batters, both singled. CF Hyung-sik Jung bunted them over, then RF Han-lee Park (1 for 14 to that point) delivered the decisive two-run single. Rick Vanden Hurk (2 IP, 0 R) got the win in a rare relief outing while Seung-hwan Oh got the save.

Game 6 - October 31

Lions 6, Bears 2.

Samsung became the second team to tie a Korean Series after being down 3 games to 1, following the Bears in the 2000 Korean Series. They started off on the wrong foot when RF Soo-bin Jung led off with a homer off Rick Vanden Hurk, the first player to lead off a Korean Series game with a dinger. Vanden Hurk issued two more walks in the 1st and was yanked at the inning's end due to right biceps pain; 8 Samsung relievers were called on to finish it off, allowing only one run in the next eight innings.

The Bears blew opportunities in the 2nd and 3rd. In the top of the 2nd, they loaded the bases against Young-soo Bae but LF Hyun-soo Kim flew out. In the 3rd, they loaded the bases against Woo-chan Cha but C Jae-hoon Choi hit into an inning-ending twin killing. In the bottom of the 3rd, Samsung tied it against Dustin Nippert. C Kab-yong Jin doubled, SS Byoung-gon Jung walked and LF Young-seop Bae brought Jin in.

In the top of the 5th, Doosan retook the lead when DH Joon-seok Choi homered (he was 3 for 4 for the second straight day) off Cha, but it would be their last run. In the bottom of the 6th, Nippert began struggling. RF Han-lee Park singled and 1B Tae-in Chae homered to the opposite field for a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 7th, they got unneeded insurance when Nippert plunked Jin with one out, Young-seop Bae had a two-out single and Han-lee Park hit one over the right field wall for a three-run blast.

Chang-min Shim got the win with 1 1/3 shutout innings while Seung-hwan Oh notched the save.

Game 7 - November 1

Lions 7, Bears 3.

Samsung became the first team to win a Korean Series after being down 3 games to 1 and the second team to win three straight Korean Series, using a big 6th inning to put things away.

Doosan got on the board first. CF Jong-wook Lee led off the game with a double off Won-sam Jang. SS Si-hyun Son bunted him over then LF Hyun-soo Kim singled to right for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the hosts tied it on hits from RF Han-lee Park and 1B Tae-in Chae, a walk to LF Hyung-woo Choi and a sacrifice fly from 3B Seok-min Park, Han-lee Park just beating Hyun-soo Kim's throw home. In the top of the 3rd, the Bears retook the lead, loading the bases as their top three batters (Jong-wook Lee, Si-hyun Son and Hyun-soo Kim) all reached, then C Eui-ji Yang hit a one-out sacrifice fly off Jang.

Samsung tied it again in the 5th, fueled by their number 2 through 4 batters again. Han-lee Park and Tae-in Chae again singled and Hyung-woo Chai again drew a Hee-kwan Yoo walk (his 5th in 4 1/3 IP in addition to 6 hits allowed). Seok-min Park flew out. Derek Hankins relieved Yoo but his postseason run of success was soon to end. DH Seung-yeop Lee singled to right to score Han-lee Park with the tying run.

In the bottom of the 6th, Hankins unraveled altogether. SS Byoung-gon Jeong singled. With one out, Han-lee Park and Tae-in Chae again reached (both would have three-hit days). Hyung-woo Choi (3 walks today) grounded to 3B Won-seok Lee, who threw home but his throw went high for an error, letting two runs score. Seok-min Park followed with a two-run single to center and 2B Tae-wan Kim added a RBI double for a five-run frame and a 7-2 lead. Si-hyun Son finished the scoring with a homer off Ji-man An in the 7th.

Han-lee Park was the first Samsung outfielder to win Series MVP since Hae-young Ma in 2002.

Sources

• Korea Times
• KBO
• Yonhap News Agency
• Korea Herald