Samsung punch through playoff battle to reach Korean Series; kt to don King Jeongjo uniforms

Furado's gem, Kim Ji-chan's bat silence KIA; KS Game 1 set for Suwon on Tuesday

kt, hosting first home KS, to wear special uniforms throughout series in bid for integrated title

Samsung Lions players bow to fans after defeating the KIA Tigers 6-1 in Game 5 of the 2026 KBO postseason playoff at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Sunday. [Yonhap]

The Samsung Lions will carry their playoff momentum into a bid for the Korean Series title for the first time in two years. After a grueling five-game playoff against the KIA Tigers capped by a dominant outing from Ariel Furado, Samsung will open the Korean Series against regular-season champion kt wiz on Tuesday at kt's home ground in Suwon. kt, hosting a Korean Series at their home stadium for the first time, will wear their King Jeongjo-themed uniforms — a symbol of Suwon — throughout the series.

Samsung defeated KIA 6-1 in the decisive Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason playoff on Sunday at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu. With a 3-2 series victory, Samsung advance to face kt for the championship.

Furado was the driving force behind Samsung's Korean Series berth. Starting Game 5, Furado held KIA's lineup to five hits, two walks and one unearned run over seven innings, striking out three. Furado had also led Samsung to victory in the pivotal Game 2, allowing two runs over 6⅔ innings. The performance earned Furado the playoff MVP award, collecting 47 of 79 votes from the media panel.

Samsung seized control early. Choi Hyung-woo's RBI single in the first inning opened the scoring, and the Lions extended their lead to 4-0 in the second on a two-RBI single by Kim Ji-chan and an additional RBI hit by Park Seung-gyu. Kim finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored, while Park contributed two RBIs.

KIA cut the deficit to 4-1 in the third inning and threatened again in the top of the sixth with one out and runners on first and second, but Furado struck out Kim Seon-bin and Han Jun-su on consecutive pitches to end the threat. Samsung responded immediately in the bottom of the sixth, with Kim Ji-chan's triple and Park Seung-gyu's RBI single adding two more runs to put the game out of reach.

Samsung have now reached the playoff for three consecutive years. The Lions advanced to the Korean Series in 2024 but were eliminated by the Hanwha Eagles last year. Back on the championship stage this season, Samsung will need Furado — who earned two playoff wins as a starter — and Kim Ji-chan, who led the offense in the clincher, to sustain that form into the Korean Series.

Regular-season champion kt had secured a bye to the Korean Series and waited for their opponent.

kt manager Lee Kang-chul said through the club on Sunday that Samsung were "a formidable team that showed stable pitching and hitting throughout the season," adding, "We will play our brand of baseball." Lee said kt had used internal training sessions and practice games ahead of the Korean Series to address weaknesses and sharpen the team's condition. "We will take pride in finishing first in the regular season and deliver the joy of an integrated championship to our fans," Lee said.

kt plan to wear their King Jeongjo uniforms for every game of the Korean Series. The club said the decision was meant "to share the Korean Series in Suwon with the citizens of Suwon" as part of the 2026-2027 Visit Suwon campaign. kt went 20 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses in 25 games wearing the uniform this season, a winning percentage of .870, and will look to carry that good fortune into a run at the franchise's second integrated title.

This will be the first time kt have hosted a Korean Series in their home city of Suwon. When the club won their first championship in 2021, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the series into mid-November, and all games were played at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

Game 1 of the Samsung-kt Korean Series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon. Samsung will look to sustain the momentum built during the playoffs, while kt will lean on the steadiness of a regular-season title and the support of their home crowd as both sides chase the opening win.

attom@heraldcorp.com