The Samsung Lions will send Ariel Furado to the mound against the KT Wiz on the 6th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Game 3 of the 2026 KBO Korea Series, with the best-of-seven championship tied 1-1 after the teams split the first two games in Suwon, MK Sports reported.
Samsung, which finished the regular season second at 83-58-3, beat the third-place Kia Tigers 3-2 in the best-of-five playoff to reach the Korea Series for the first time in two years. The Lions lost Game 1 of the Korea Series 8-7 but bounced back with a 3-2 win in Game 2 before the series moved back to Daegu.
The stakes in Game 3 are steep. In Korea Series history, the team that wins Game 3 when the series is tied 1-1 has gone on to win the championship 88.9% of the time — 16 of 18 instances. For Samsung, a win would also keep alive a bid for its first Korean Series title since 2014, a 12-year wait.
An 88.9% precedent meets a pitcher built for October
Furado, who debuted in the KBO with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2023 and joined Samsung last season, has been the Lions’ postseason ace. He went winless in his earlier playoff appearances but delivered back-to-back quality starts in the playoff series against Kia: 6.2 innings with five hits, two walks, three strikeouts and two runs allowed in Game 2, then seven innings with five hits, two walks, three strikeouts and one run in the clinching Game 5, a 6-1 victory. His two wins earned him playoff MVP honors.
His season numbers back the postseason form. Across 114 career games and 721.1 innings, Furado is 45-27 with a 3.01 ERA. In 2026 he made 24 starts, going 9-3 with a 3.54 ERA over 150 innings.
“This is the first time I’m running on the Korea Series stage,” Furado said after the playoff clincher. “I’ll do everything I can to bring the team the championship.”
Furado’s one soft spot: the KT lineup
The concern for Samsung is Furado’s 2026 track record against KT. In three meetings totaling 15.2 innings, he is 1-1 with a 5.17 ERA — a noticeable step up from his season mark. The Wiz hitters who did the damage are the same ones Samsung will face again:
- Healy, who hit .444 against Furado (4-for-9) with three home runs and five RBIs
- Kim Sang-soo, 3-for-5
- Heo Kyung-min, 2-for-4
- Jang Sung-woo, 2-for-6
- Kim Hyun-soo, 2-for-7 with a home run
Healy is the name Samsung’s staff will circle first; his power production against Furado (.444 average, three homers in nine at-bats) is the biggest reason the right-hander’s ERA ballooned to 5.17 in those three outings.
So Hyeong-jun answers for the Wiz
KT will counter with So Hyeong-jun, who debuted with the club in 2020. So is 55-29 with a 3.58 ERA across 135 career games and 721.1 innings, and he went 10-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 23 starts (131.1 innings) in 2026. Against Samsung specifically, he is 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA in three games and 17 innings this season. His postseason resume is stronger still: 3-0 with one save and a 1.48 ERA in eight appearances, including five starts — the profile of a pitcher who has thrived on the October stage.
The matchup therefore sets up a Game 3 in which both starters have strong postseason credentials but only one — Furado — has a history of struggling against the opposing lineup in the regular season.
Korea Series Game 3 questions fans are asking
Why does the 88.9% number matter so much? Because Game 3 of a 1-1 Korea Series has decided the championship 16 times out of 18, according to the historical record cited in MK Sports’ reporting. A Samsung win would put the Lions in that heavily favored group with two home games remaining in the series.
Has Furado ever pitched in a Korea Series before? No — he said after the playoff series that Game 3 would be his first Korea Series appearance, even though he had prior postseason experience that ended without a win.
Who has the better recent postseason record between the two starters? So Hyeong-jun holds a 3-0 postseason record with a 1.48 ERA, while Furado is 2-0 in this playoff run with the MVP award, though his career postseason mark before this year was winless.
Where and when is Game 3? The game is scheduled for the 6th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, with the series tied 1-1 and Samsung listed as the home team for Games 3 and 4.
Game 3 on the 6th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park is the next checkpoint: a Samsung win would hand the Lions the historical 88.9% advantage and a 2-1 series lead with home games still to come, while a KT victory would flip the series and send the Wiz back to Suwon with the edge.
