Tigers unbeatable in Korean Series
The Kia Tigers have never been defeated in their 11 appearances in the Korean Series since the Korea Baseball Organization League began play in 1982.
The “Unbeatable Tigers” record in winning the series stands as the Doosan Bears failed to put the brakes on the Gwangju-based team’s winning record. The Tigers edged out the Bears 7-6 in the nail-biting Game 5 on Monday, ending the best-of-seven series with their 4-1 victory. The Tigers lost Game 1 but after that, they won four games in a row to clinch the title.
Among 10 KBO clubs, the Tigers have won the most Korean Series titles. The 1980s were the Golden Decade for the Tigers. Since the team grabbed its first championship title in 1983, the Tigers won the series for four consecutive years from 1986 to 1989. In 1990, the LG Twins — the former MBC Blue Dragons — stopped the Tigers from winning the series five times in a row.
The Tigers’ rise to become the 2017 champion, eight years after clinching the title in 2008, came with various records.
Infielder Lee Bum-ho lived up to his nickname “The Man of the Grand Slam.” He belted a grand slam off Bears ace pitcher Dustin Nippert in the third inning of Game 5.
Upon arriving in the dugout at Jamsil baseball stadium in Seoul after rounding the bases, Lee took his helmet off to show his respect to manager Kim Ki-tae. “I was mired in a slump (all during the Korean Series) but he trusted me and kept giving me opportunities to prove myself,” he said after the game. “I was just so thankful for him and his support.”
Lee’s batting average until Game 4 was a mere .083 and he produced only one hit out of 16 at-bats. But he became a hero in the final game by producing his trademark grand slam.
Lee has produced 16 grand slams so far since he joined the KBO in 2000 and has hit the most grand slams of all-time.
His home run was critical to help his team lead the game. Lee won the Daily MVP Award after his team won the game.
The Tigers’ Korean Series championship following their winning the most games of the regular season has generated several records.
Centerfielder Roger Bernadina set a record during the Korean Series. He produced the most hits in the series. The Dutch-born hitter batted .526 with one home run and 7 RBIs. He is one of the greatest foreign-born players in the league and his Korean Series records were comparable to those of former Bears slugger Tyrone Woods. Woods, who played for the Bears from 1998 and 2002, won the Korean Series MVP in 2001 when the Bears clinched the title.
Bernadina was one of the strongest candidates for the Korean Series MVP Award. But he was outshone by pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong who dominated Game 2 and helped the Tigers edge out the Bears 1-0 after their frustrating defeat in Game 1. Yang was called upon to pitch in the ninth inning of Game 5 to save his team in peril. It was rare for an ace starter to pitch as a closer days after he had pitched complete game. Manager Kim was resolute to finish the series in Game 5. Yang didn’t allow the Bears to score further and successfully fulfilled his mission to end the series.
Infielder Kim Seon-bin, the second shortest player in the league, was tops in batting average rankings during the regular season. His batting order is ninth. It’s rare for a player whose batting lineup is ninth to lead in batting averages. Manager Kim Ki-tae intentionally put the infielder ninth in the batting order to encourage the player to do his own swing without pressure. Batters 3, 4, or 5 in the batting order usually feel more pressure than their teammates because of high expectations from their coaching staff as well as from baseball fans.