The agile moves by General Manager Lee Jong-yeol and the Samsung front office bore fruit in a championship victory [Samsung V9]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

If the players who sweated on the field were the leads in this season's Samsung Lions Korea Series championship, then General Manager Lee Jong-yeol and the front office behind them served as the best supporting cast. The achievement is evaluated as a perfect collaboration born from preserving core strength, bold veteran signings, and swift responses to crises.

On the 8th, at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, Samsung secured a decisive 12-1 victory over KT Wiz in Game 5 of the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (KS · best-of-seven)" by leveraging the explosive power of a lineup that racked up 14 hits. With this win, Samsung recorded a series record of four wins and one loss, reclaiming the pinnacle of the Korea Series for the first time in 12 years since the 2014 season and building a golden tower with their ninth championship (V9) in franchise history.

Behind these valuable results lay the front office's agile maneuvers. Ahead of this season, swift re-signings with starting pitcher Ariel Hurdado (up to $1.7 million) and foreign hitter Lewin Diaz (up to $1.6 million) served as a solid signal flare to prevent talent leakage.

In addition, the signing of Chris Paddack is hailed as a "masterstroke." The team faced a crisis when Matt Manning, acquired ambitiously at the start of the season, was forced out due to injury during spring training, and they looked for opportunities while relying on stopgap measures with short-term contract players such as Jack Oakley. At a moment when acquiring a new foreign pitcher was urgent, the front office brought in Paddack for approximately $480,000 last July. They snatched him up immediately after he was removed from the 40th-man roster. Paddack, who quickly integrated into the team, not only took responsibility for seven wins as a regular season starter but also displayed incredible fighting spirit in the postseason, laying the decisive foundation for the championship. Even amid Ariel Hurdado's injury, they signed Austin Voth, who was evaluated as top-tier among replacement foreign players.

The front office's bold betting on veterans also proves their precise "judgment." When they signed Choi Hyung-woo, born in 1983 and turning 43 this year, there were no few concerned looks from inside and outside the team regarding "aging." This choice, akin to a gamble, ultimately ended in great success. Choi served as a reliable elder figure throughout the season alongside catcher Kang Min-ho, anchoring the team's center. In particular, on the big stage of the Korea Series, he quietly handled defense as well, perfectly proving his value.

This championship is even more meaningful in that it marks the successful fruition of the "new investment and development approach" established at both the front office and group levels. Samsung was once the most aggressive group in sports team investment up until the 2010s. However, significant changes occurred after the 2016 political interference scandal. Amid the dissolution of the Office for Future Strategy and Chairman Lee Jae-yong's distinctive pragmatic management policy, management of the sports teams was transferred to 제일기획 (Jeil Planning), and several Samsung sports clubs, including the baseball team, had to endure a painful dark period.

However, the Samsung front office found a breakthrough through structural improvement. They moved away from the past blind investment approach. Instead, they focused on providing experience to franchise players with potential to take responsibility for the team's future, such as Koo Ja-wook, Won Tae-in, Lee Jae-hyun, Kim Ji-chan, and Kim Young-woong. In this process, infielder Kim Sang-soo and outfielder Park Hae-min, among others, departed.

In addition, the role of the power analysis team, who shed invisible sweat in the background, cannot be overlooked. According to accounts from officials and staff of other teams, the detailed data provided by the Samsung power analysis team is actively utilized by Manager Park Jin-man and the coaching staff in game management and tactical planning. Above all, there have been continuous evaluations that the team's ability to interpret and apply this data to real-game situations goes beyond merely referencing it, with both the coaching staff and the entire player roster excelling at this. The decision to deploy Won Tae-in as a swingman in this postseason is not unrelated to this. Foreign pitcher Chris Paddack also mentioned active communication with the power analysis team immediately after the championship.

Ultimately, the foresight of General Manager Lee Jong-yeol and the front office who moved agilely, the meticulousness of the data-based power analysis team, and the systematic player development policy achieved perfect harmony, elevating the Samsung Lions to the top spot once again. It is 2026, a year in which the "front office's sweat," hidden behind the championship trophy, shines brighter than ever.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original