Dominating with an 'ERA of 0'! Samsung's 'Hidden MVP' Shares Championship Thoughts: "I'm Completely Dazed..." Praise for Lee Seung-min [Samsung V9]

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Many Samsung Lions fans had assumed this player would take the mound in the ninth inning. Although foreign ace Chris Fiddick was responsible through the ninth, Samsung fans did not forget another relief pitcher. That is Lee Seung-min (26), a left-handed reliever for the Samsung Lions.

Samsung, led by Manager Park Jin-man, secured a 12-1 victory over the KT Wiz in Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korea Series (best-of-seven) held on the 8th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

With this result, recording a series record of four wins and one loss, Samsung lifted their ninth Korea Series championship trophy in franchise history, ending a drought that had lasted a whopping 12 years since 2014.

Samsung has claimed its ninth title in franchise history, marking its first championship in 12 years following its four consecutive combined titles from 2011 to 2014.

The upset victory, in which the second-place team of the regular season defeated the top-ranked team, also holds deep significance. The most recent instance of such an upset occurred in 2018, when the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) defeated the Doosan Bears, who had topped the regular season standings, with a record of four wins and two losses. This time, Samsung has become the first team to prevent the regular season champion from winning in eight years.

In the top of the ninth inning of Game 5 on this day, with Samsung leading by a wide margin of 12-1, it was KT's final offensive at-bat. Samsung's pitcher remained Fiddick. And Fiddick completed his perfect pitching performance with four innings and five strikeouts, becoming the team's celebratory lift.

Had the game on this day progressed as a close contest, Lee Seung-min would have been the most reliable relief pitcher for Samsung.

Lee Seung-min had already performed brilliantly in the previous playoffs against the KIA Tigers. Most notably, he delivered strong performances not only in the playoffs but also in the Korea Series, facing opponents' middle-of-the-order hitters rather than just their lower lineups.

In the playoffs against KIA, he appeared in all games (five matches), pitching a total of 5⅓ innings while allowing only one run (ERA 1.69).

Following that, in the Korea Series against KT, he appeared in three games, recording one hold and delivering an iron-wall scoreless performance over a total of 3⅓ innings with two hits allowed, no walks or hit batters, and three strikeouts.

After the playoffs concluded, Manager Park Jin-man of Samsung stated, "The hidden Most Valuable Player (MVP) is Lee Seung-min," giving a thumbs-up and adding, "He must have been physically exhausted, yet he appeared in all five games. We always prepared (Lee) Seung-min to face KIA's top-of-the-order hitters. He reliably fulfilled his role in crucial situations against key lineups featuring Kim Do-young, Harold Castro, and Na Sung-bum," sparing no praise.

Manager Park continued to entrust him with important duties in the Korea Series as well. Ultimately, Lee Seung-min contributed significantly to the team's championship by pitching 1⅓ innings with one hit allowed, one strikeout, and no runs allowed in Game 2; one inning with one hit allowed, one strikeout, and no runs allowed in Game 3; and a perfect one-inning performance with one strikeout in Game 4. Samsung fans showered him with praise, calling him "the hidden MVP in my heart."

After the championship, Lee Seung-min shared his thoughts through the Samsung club: "It is so good that words cannot express it. It was tough, but because it was a major tournament, I felt energized the moment I stepped onto the pitcher's mound." He further expressed his joy by saying, "The last time I won a championship was in middle school. Experiencing this moment, which had been a vague dream, together with everyone leaves me completely dazed."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original