There's something about his team's home stadium that Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man can't quite explain.After dropping the first two games of the Korean Series against the Kia Tigers on the road in the southern city of Gwangju, the Lions responded with a 4-2 victory Friday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul. They scored their four runs with four solo shots, bringing the postseason home run total at this stadium to 12 in three games."I think our guys looked a bit intimidated in Gwangju, but once they came here, they had more bounce in their steps," Park said in his postgame press conference. "Maybe it's just a matter of being home and feeling comfortable. They swung the bat they're supposed to. I was worried about our offense, but the guys who are expected to hit came through tonight. This is going to be a very interesting series."One of those hitters was designated hitter Park Byung-ho, who broke out of a 0-for-11 slump with a solo homer in the seventh. It was h is 14th career Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason home run, tying him with former Lions star Lee Seung-yuop at the top of the all-time rankings."I hope this home run will help right the ship for him," the manager said. "When you're in a funk, one home run can change everything."Park Byung-ho's homer immediately followed Kim Hun-gon's solo blast. It was Kim's second homer of this series."He is the lion that kills the tiger," manager Park said with a smile. "I think he's the one player that the Tigers are most afraid of right now."Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho said his team's inability to get to Reyes was the biggest reason for the loss, not the four homers given up by his pitchers."We should have chased him in the fifth or sixth inning," Lee said. "He pitched differently than what we'd expected, and we couldn't adjust to that. He came inside with changeups instead of cutters."Lee said he didn't mind the four solo shots, because it's better than giving up walks and a string of hits.Reliever Jeon Sang-hyun was the hero in the first game with his shutdown work out of the bullpen but became the first pitcher to serve up back-to-back homers on two pitches in a Korean Series game Friday, with Kim Hun-gon and Park Byung-ho doing damage."His velocity went down a bit, and it's something we'll keep an eye on," Lee said. "But among our relievers, he is the one in the best physical condition. We'll have to see in what situations we want to use him next."Source: Yonhap News Agency
- October 12, 2026
