SUWON, South Korea — kt wiz held off a furious late rally from the Samsung Lions to win Game 1 of the 2026 Korean Series 8-7 on Nov. 3 at Suwon kt wiz Park in Gyeonggi Province, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship, Yonhap News reported. The Lions scored seven runs across the seventh and eighth innings to erase an 8-0 deficit, but kt closer Park Young-hyun recorded a five-out save to seal the one-run victory.
The win gives kt wiz the first edge in the Korean Baseball Organization’s postseason finale, with Game 2 set to follow at the same ballpark.
An 8-0 lead nearly slipped away in the seventh
kt wiz built its commanding lead early, powered by home runs from Ahn Hyun-min, Han Seung-taek and Kim Hyun-soo. But the momentum shifted dramatically in the seventh inning, when Samsung scored five runs — including a two-run home run by Koo Ja-wook — and added two more in the eighth to pull within 8-7.
Park Young-hyun entered and retired enough batters to earn a five-out save, preserving the narrow margin.
Lee said afterward that the game came closer to slipping away than the final score suggested. “It almost went wrong,” he said, according to Yonhap News. He stressed that his team could afford no lapses in a game of this magnitude, adding that his smile after the final out was not a genuine one. Lee singled out Han Seung-taek’s home run with kt already ahead 8-0 as a decisive moment in the game’s flow, but acknowledged that once Samsung began chipping away, the outcome was no longer secure.
Davis Daniel earns the win for the visitors’ side
kt starter Davis Daniel was named the winning pitcher after going six innings, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out seven. The early offensive explosion gave him a large cushion, even as the late rally cut the lead to a single run.
Samsung’s comeback was the story of the middle innings: five runs in the seventh and two in the eighth turned a blowout into a one-run game and forced kt to use its bullpen all the way to the final out.
Lee Kang-chul calls Logan Allen’s appearance a mistake
Lee also addressed a pitching change from earlier in the game, saying the use of reliever Logan Allen was “a mistake in retrospect.” The manager’s candid postgame assessment pointed to the seventh-inning collapse as the moment the game nearly turned, with Allen among the relievers who allowed runs during Samsung’s rally.
What the result means for the series
With the Korean Series now at 1-0 in kt wiz’s favor, the Lions must win Game 2 in Suwon to avoid falling behind 2-0 in the championship round. The series continues at Suwon kt wiz Park, with both teams’ bullpens likely to be tested again after a Game 1 that saw seven runs in the seventh inning alone.
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