SUWON, South Korea, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- After the KT Wiz nearly frittered away an eight-run lead before eking out a victory to begin the Korean Series on Tuesday, manager Lee Kang-chul admitted his team took its collective foot off the gas.
The Wiz defeated the Samsung Lions 8-7 in Game 1 of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) championship battle at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul.
The Wiz led 8-0 through six innings, and with starter Davis Daniel having allowed just two hits through the first half-dozen frames, the Wiz seemed well on their way to a breezy win.
Ahn Hyun-min, Han Seung-taek and Kim Hyun-soo each went deep for the Wiz.
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul (R) celebrates with his players after an 8-7 win over the Samsung Lions in Game 1 of the Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul (R) celebrates with his players after an 8-7 win over the Samsung Lions in Game 1 of the Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)
However, the Lions finally solved Daniel and then also got to the bullpen in the top seventh, scoring five runs to make the game more interesting. They scored twice more in the top eighth to cut the deficit to one, but fell short in the end.
"A game like this reminded me that you can never relax in a postseason game," Lee said. "I think the home run by Hyun-soo that put us up by 8-0 made everyone let their guard down a bit."
Lee had to turn to closer Park Yeong-hyun for the final five outs for the nervy save, although Park himself had a wild pitch that let in the Lions' seventh run.
"The momentum of the whole series could have gone the other way, and our players did a great job at the end," Lee said. "I tried to limit his workload as much as I can but I guess he is just destined to pitch a lot."
Lions manager Park Jin-man said not everything was lost from the defeat.
"We scored seven runs off their high-leverage relievers," Park said. "We feel confident that we can mount rallies like this again in middle to late innings."
Park said he should have pulled starter Choi Won-tae after he allowed a leadoff double to Kim Min-hyuck in the second inning. The next batter, Ahn Hyun-min, hit a two-run home run that pushed the Wiz's lead to 5-0.
"It was still early enough in the game that we should have tried to keep the score relatively close," Park said. "I regret not making that switch."
With yet another poor outing by Choi this postseason -- he lasted only 1 2/3 innings and allowed two runs in the previous series against the Kia Tigers -- Park said he will move the right-hander to the bullpen for the rest of the Korean Series.
Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (L) watches his team in action against the KT Wiz during Game 1 of the Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)
Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (L) watches his team in action against the KT Wiz during Game 1 of the Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)