Samsung's championship odds hit 88.9%! Koo Ja-wook explodes with a two-RBI triple, Hurado delivers a seven-inning, one-run outing... Samsung leads KT 2-1 [KS3 On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Captain Koo Ja-wook's (33) bat decided the game. Playoffs Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ariel Hurado (30) also delivered an ace-level performance in the Korea Series (KS). The Samsung Lions defeated the KT Wiz at home, taking another step toward their first Korea Series championship in 12 years.

Samsung won 5-1 against KT in the third game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (KS, best-of-seven) held on the 6th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

After losing the first game in Suwon 7-8 but winning the second game 3-2 after a grueling 12-inning battle, Samsung won two consecutive games to take a 2-1 series lead. They also secured a favorable position for the championship. In the history of the Korea Series, when teams are tied 1-1 and the third game is won by one side, that team has gone on to win the championship in 16 out of 18 instances, a rate of as high as 88.9%.

The stars of the victory were Hurado and Koo Ja-wook. Hurado became the winning pitcher by shutting down the KT lineup with seven innings pitched, six hits allowed, no walks or hit batters, six strikeouts, and one run allowed. He carried over the momentum from the previous Playoffs, where he recorded two wins against the KIA Tigers and claimed the MVP title, into the Korea Series.

On the offensive side, Koo Ja-wook stepped up as the go-to hitter in crucial moments. He took control of the game with a massive two-RBI triple that brought in all runners in the bottom of the second inning. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Park Seung-gyu drove a 120-meter solo home run over the left-center field fence to nail down the victory.

On the other hand, KT starter So Hyoung-jun (25) took the loss with six innings pitched, three hits allowed, five walks, six strikeouts, and four runs allowed. Although he had a 2-0 record against Samsung in the regular season, he could not overcome early control issues on this day. Offensively, aside from multi-hits by Kim Hyun-soo and Sam Hilliard, they failed to find a clear path.

Meanwhile, a sold-out crowd of 23,550 fans packed Daegu Samsung Lions Park, setting a record for 49 consecutive sold-out postseason games. This record began with the first game of the 2023 Korea Series; counting only the Korea Series, it is a streak of 24 consecutive sellouts starting from the first game in 2022. In this year's postseason, there have been 12 consecutive sellouts since the Wild Card Decider, bringing the cumulative attendance to 252,500.

On this day, KT set their lineup with Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Ahn Hyun-min (right fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (center fielder), Jang Seong-woo (designated hitter), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Ryu Hyun-in (third baseman), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). The starting pitcher was So Hyoung-jun.

In response, Samsung set their lineup with Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Kim Seong-yoon (right fielder), Koo Ja-wook (designated hitter), Choi Hyung-woo (left fielder), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Kim Young-woong (third baseman), Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), and Kang Min-ho (catcher). The starting pitcher was Ariel Hurado.

Points were scored right from the start. In the top of the first inning, leadoff batter Kim Min-hyuk reached base with a double down the right field line. Ahn Hyun-min hit a flyout to right field and Kim Hyun-soo grounded out to shortstop, but Hilliard swung at the third pitch curveball and hit a one-RBI double that struck the very top of the center field fence.

The hot Samsung lineup immediately turned the game around. In the bottom of the first inning, leadoff batter Kim Ji-chan hit a single to center field, Koo Ja-wook drew a walk, and Choi Hyung-woo hit a one-RBI single to left field to tie the score at 1-1. In the bottom of the second inning, Lee Jae-hyun and Ryu Ji-hyuk reached base on walks. Kang Min-ho failed on a first-pitch bunt and was out, but Kim Ji-chan drew another walk to load the bases.

Kim Seong-yoon hit a deep grounder to shortstop that brought in the runner from third base, and Koo Ja-wook widened the lead with a massive two-RBI triple heading toward the top of the right field fence. KT led 4-1. At this moment, Ahn Hyun-min sprained his ankle while colliding with the fence and landing, causing the game to be suspended for a while. Ahn Hyun-min remained in the game after receiving simple treatment.

After that, a tense scoreless stretch unfolded amid strong pitching from both teams' pitchers. So Hyoung-jun recorded four strikeouts from the third through the sixth innings, taking responsibility for long innings with 13 consecutive batters retired on groundouts or flyouts.

However, Hurado displayed even more dominant pitching. Hurado allowed only four intermittent hits through seven innings, throwing 108 pitches to complete a Quality Start Plus (at least seven innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs by the starting pitcher).

KT seized their last chance in the top of the seventh inning with a double down the right field line by pinch hitter Jang Jin-hyuk with one out. They then sent Choi Won-jun, who had left due to injury, and Lee Jung-hoon as consecutive pinch hitters to attempt scoring, but both were retired with a flyout to shortstop and a groundout to first base, failing to turn the game around in the end.

Instead, Samsung drove the nail into the coffin in the bottom of the eighth inning when Park Seung-gyu hit a 120-meter solo home run that just cleared the left-center field fence with one out. The two teams will now play the fourth game of the Korea Series at the same venue on the 7th at 2 p.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original