Daegu: After making it all the way to the championship round last year, the Samsung Lions will begin this year’s postseason in South Korean baseball in the first stage — against the hottest team in the league, at that.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Lions, the 2024 Korean Series runners-up, finished fourth in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season with a win-loss-tie record of 74-68-2, earning the home field advantage in the wild card round. They will face the NC Dinos, who finished fifth at 71-67-6 and secured the final postseason ticket by winning their last nine regular-season games.
Game 1 of their series is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Chuseok, at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers south of Seoul. As the higher seed, the Lions only need a tie to advance to the next round, where the No. 3 seed SSG Landers await. Conversely, the Dinos must win two consecutive games to progress, with the Lions hosting Game 2 if needed.
The KBO introduced the wild card round in 2015, and only once has a lower-ranked team emerged victorious – the KT Wiz in 2024. The Lions claimed the season series over the Dinos 9-7-0. Their postseason spot was secured on Tuesday, and they concluded their regular season on Saturday, allowing their veterans to rest.
The Lions are set to utilize their two aces for the series: Ariel Jurado for Monday and, if necessary, Won Tae-in for the second game. Jurado led the league with 197 1/3 innings and 23 quality starts, ranking fourth in both wins (15) and ERA (2.60). He also performed well against the Dinos during the regular season, boasting a 3-0 record and a 2.10 ERA in four starts.
The Dinos, on the other hand, played high-stakes games toward the end of the season, needing every victory to secure their postseason spot. In their crucial final regular-season game, they relied on their No. 1 starter Riley Thompson, who won’t be available for the wild card round. Instead, they will turn to left-hander Koo Chang-mo to start Monday’s game. Koo, who returned from military service this season, pitched four games, recording a 1-0 record with a 2.51 ERA.
Koo has not pitched more than 4 1/3 innings this year but has shown the potential that once made him one of the KBO’s most promising pitchers. On Sept. 18, Koo impressed against the Lions with three shutout innings and four strikeouts.
Both teams were among the most productive offenses during the regular season. The Lions led the KBO with 161 home runs and a .427 slugging percentage, driven by first baseman Lewin Diaz, who hit 50 homers and achieved a .644 slugging percentage. The Dinos ranked third with 732 runs and a .399 slugging percentage, led by first baseman Matt Davidson, who finished second to Diaz with 36 home runs.