The Kia Tigers are in early control of the Korean Series after taking the first two games at home over the Samsung Lions earlier this week.The next two games will be at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul, with Game 3 set for Friday evening. If the Lions take at least one of the next two here, they will send the best-of-seven series back to the Tigers' home, Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of the capital.And the Tigers would rather not play at home again this year."We will try to finish this series in four games," veteran designated hitter Choi Hyoung-woo said in his pregame media scrum. "The earlier we can win the title, the better. It means nothing whether we get to celebrate here or at home. A team like Samsung can catch fire and start winning some games. We don't want to give them any hope at this point, and we will try to finish them off when we have the chance."Choi knows something about what can happen to a team when it fails to cli nch a Korean Series with a title in its grasp. In 2013, while Choi was playing for the Lions, they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Doosan Bears to capture their third straight title.Reliever Jeon Sang-hyun echoed Choi's sentiment."We all want to sweep the series," he said. "Honestly, it would be more fun to win the title in Gwangju, but we can't really predict how the series will play out (if we lose a game here). We all have the same mindset that we are here to pull off the sweep."It was Jeon's excellent outing in the suspended Game 1 that the Tigers are even in a position to sweep the Lions.The first game began on a rainy Monday evening and was put on hold with the Lions leading 1-0 in the top sixth with two runners aboard and nobody out. When the game resumed two days later, Jeon took the mound and escaped the inning unscathed.It set the stage for a four-run rally by the Tigers in the bottom seventh en route to a 5-1 victory.Jeon, who was named the Player of the Game thanks to 1 2/3 sh utout innings, said he gets extra juice from pitching against his hometown team."I've always wanted to beat the Lions," the Daegu native said. "And it's a lot of fun to be in a Korean Series game in this city. It feels a bit different than regular-season games."Jeon said he feels better now than at any point in the year, and he won't shy away from attacking hitters in the homer-happy stadium in Daegu."I don't think the stadium really matters," Jeon said. "I just have to trust my stuff and feel confident in myself."James Naile, who threw five innings of one-run ball in Game 1 before the game was suspended, also said he will maintain his attack mindset when he takes the ball in Game 4 on Saturday.He rode his sweeper to record six strikeouts Monday and is expected to lean on his signature pitch once again. Naile, who missed a little over a month at the end of the regular season after taking a line drive to the face on Aug. 24, said having that time off "allowed my arm to freshen up a little bit.""I a m throwing (the sweeper) hard right now, and I'm really trying to give it everything I have," he added. "It's been a good pitch for me."Source: Yonhap News Agency
- October 12, 2026
