An Hyeon-min, Han Seung-taek, Kim Hyeon-su hit home runs

KT led 8-0 before Samsung scored 7 runs in 7th and 8th innings

Park Young-hyeon strikes out the side in 9th to seal victory

KT Wiz closer Park Young-hyeon roars after preserving a one-run victory over Samsung Lions in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
KT Wiz closer Park Young-hyeon roars after preserving a one-run victory over Samsung Lions in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

KT Wiz narrowly fended off a fierce Samsung Lions comeback to win the opening game of the Korean Series (best-of-seven).

KT defeated Samsung 8-7 in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. The regular-season champions advanced directly to the Korean Series as the No. 1 seed, built an eight-run lead on three home runs, then survived a late bullpen collapse to escape with a one-run win.

KT is chasing its second combined championship in five years since 2021, and the series opener went in its favor. Historically, teams that win Game 1 of the Korean Series have gone on to claim the title 73.8 percent of the time — 31 of 42 series.

KT's offense went to work against Samsung starter Choi Won-tae from the first inning. A hit and stolen base by Choi Won-jun, combined with a wild pitch, set up a first-and-third situation with one out, and Sam Hilliard drove in two runs with a double to left-center. Kim Sang-su then added another on an infield single to make it 3-0.

In the third inning, An Hyeon-min followed a Kim Min-hyeok double by driving a Choi Won-tae changeup over the left-field wall for a two-run home run. Choi was pulled after two innings, having allowed five runs. Han Seung-taek added a solo shot to left-center in the fifth, and Kim Hyeon-su launched a two-run homer to right in the sixth, stretching the lead to 8-0.

KT starter Davis Daniel was equally dominant through six innings. From the final batter of the second inning through Kim Ji-chan in the sixth, Daniel retired 13 consecutive batters and appeared to have the game well in hand.

Samsung Lions' Koo Ja-wook hits a two-run home run to left-center in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series against KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
Samsung Lions' Koo Ja-wook hits a two-run home run to left-center in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series against KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

The game turned sharply in the seventh. Samsung's Koo Ja-wook hit a two-run homer to left-center after a Park Seung-gyu single, and a subsequent hit by Lewin Diaz chased Daniel from the mound. Samsung kept the pressure on against KT's relievers.

Kim Seong-yun and Kim Yeong-ung hit back-to-back singles off Logan Allen to load the bases with nobody out, and Ryu Ji-hyeok's groundout brought in a run. Son Dong-hyeon struck out Kim Heon-gon, but Kim Jeong-un, who entered mid-at-bat against Lee Jae-hyeon, surrendered a two-run single that cut the deficit to 8-5.

Samsung added another run in the eighth when Kim Seong-yun singled to center with runners on first and second and one out, following a Park Seung-gyu walk and a Koo Ja-wook single. KT turned to closer Park Young-hyeon, but a wild pitch with the bases loaded and two outs allowed another run to score, making it 8-7. A pinch-hit flyout by Kim Hyeon-jun to left field ended the inning and narrowly averted a collapse.

Samsung's most costly missed opportunity came earlier in the eighth, when Koo Ja-wook — nursing a thigh injury — could not score from third on Ryu Ji-hyeok's fly ball to left with one out and the bases loaded.

Park, who had allowed a run to score on a wild pitch in the eighth, was a different pitcher in the ninth. He struck out Lee Jae-hyeon, pinch hitter Jeon Byeong-u and Park Seung-gyu in order to shut down Samsung's final rally.

Starter Daniel was pulled with nobody out and a runner on first in the seventh, finishing with six innings pitched, seven strikeouts and three runs allowed. KT's bullpen, however, surrendered runs in both the seventh and eighth innings, leaving questions heading into the rest of the series.

The two teams meet again for Game 2 at the same venue Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

KT Wiz's An Hyeon-min rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run to left field in the third inning of Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series against Samsung Lions at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
KT Wiz's An Hyeon-min rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run to left field in the third inning of Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series against Samsung Lions at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

yjc@heraldcorp.com