Samsung beat KT 12-1 in Game 5 of the 2026 KBO Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 8th, closing the series 4-1. According to Korea JoongAng Daily it is the club’s first title since 2014 and its ninth overall, and the Chosun Ilbo called it the franchise’s first Korean Series upset over a regular-season top seed.
The Korea Times reported a sellout crowd of 23,550 in Daegu. KT struck first on a Jang Jin-hyuk sacrifice fly in the third, but Samsung answered with three runs in the bottom half, and JoongAng Daily said Diaz’s single drove in the go-ahead run.
광고 문의 · 300×250Eight runs in the fifth decided it
The game was effectively settled in the fifth. JoongAng Daily said Samsung scored eight times that inning, six of them unearned after two errors by KT shortstop Kwon Dong-jin. Kim Ji-chan hit a two-run triple, and the Korea Times added that Choi Hyoung-woo had an RBI single and Lee Jae-hyeon a double.
Starter Won Tae-in earned the win with five innings of one-run ball, while KT starter Davis Daniel was out after the third. The two outlets differ on which KT reliever followed, so this report sticks to what could be confirmed.
MVP Koo Ja-wook and the title story
Captain Koo Ja-wook was named series MVP. The Korea Times said he played through a left hamstring injury and went 3-for-5 with two runs in Game 5, while JoongAng Daily put his series average at .500. Manager Park Jin-man won his first title as skipper, and 41-year-old catcher Kang Min-ho got his first ring in his 22nd pro season.
It was not smooth throughout. JoongAng Daily said Samsung rallied for seven runs after trailing 8-0 in Game 1 in Suwon but lost 8-7, then won Game 2 3-2 in 12 innings, Game 3 5-1 and Game 4 10-5. In Game 3, Jurado held KT to one run over seven innings.
KT went straight to the Series with a club-record 90 regular-season wins but never got its lineup going. In the eighth, shortstop Kwon was struck in the face by a ground ball and taken away by ambulance; no update on his condition was available. The Korea Times noted that Samsung is the first No. 2 seed to win the title since the 2018 SK Wyverns.