Daegu: On an SSG Landers team batting .188 in three games of their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series against the Samsung Lions, first baseman Ko Myeong-jun has been a lone bright spot. Playing in his first postseason, the 23-year-old has hit three of his team's four home runs and driven in five of the team's nine runs so far. Ko has homered once in each of the first three games, and another dinger in Game 4 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu will tie the KBO postseason record.
According to Yonhap News Agency, despite Ko's heroics, the Landers are down 2-1 in this best-of-five series, a loss away from going home. Ko's latest homer was a two-run blast in the top of the ninth inning in Monday's Game 3, which the Landers ended up losing 5-3.
"It was tough to lose that game," Ko said Tuesday. "I am obviously happy that I homered, but it would have been better if we'd won the game."
Two other players have homered in four consecutive postseason games -- former Lions shortstop Ryu Joong-il in 1991 and former Lotte Giants star Felix Jose in 1999.
"If I hit another home run today and we win the game, then I will be on cloud nine," Ko said. "Even if I don't go deep, I just want us to win the game."
For Tuesday, the Lions will start right-hander Ariel Jurado, and Ko hammered two home runs off the Panamanian pitcher during the regular season.
"If I am up there in the box and thinking too much, then I've already lost the battle against the pitcher," Ko said. "I am going to be aggressive from the first pitch."