Amid the ongoing excitement of the Korean Series, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on the 26th that all 23,550 seats for the 4th game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park have been sold out.
The Korean Series has seen 15 consecutive sellouts (from the 1st game of the 2022 Korean Series onward), and the postseason has had 20 consecutive sellouts (from the 1st game of the 2023 Korean Series onward), with a cumulative attendance of 334,250 for the 15 postseason games this year.
The much-anticipated Korean Series matchup between Samsung and KIA, meeting for the first time in 31 years, has captured the attention of many baseball fans. The regular season champions KIA took the lead by winning both the 1st and 2nd games held in Gwangju.
The 1st game, held on the 21st, was declared a suspended game due to rain and resumed on the 23rd. KIA, trailing 0-1 until the top of the 7th inning, scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th to turn the game around. In the bottom of the 8th, Kim Tae-gun added an RBI single, finishing the game with a 5-1 victory by 4 runs.
The momentum continued in the 2nd game. KIA shook Samsung’s mound by scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, and Kim Do-young hit his first career home run in the Korean Series in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Despite Samsung’s attempts to catch up, KIA held the lead until the end and secured an 8-3 win.
Nevertheless, Samsung did not give up hope. Utilizing the home field advantage in the 3rd game on the 25th, Samsung hit 4 home runs and, backed by starting pitcher Denny Reyes’ strong performance of 7 innings with 1 run allowed, defeated KIA 4-2 by 2 runs.
In the 4th game, home team Samsung aims for a 2-game winning streak. The lineup features Kim Ji-chan (center fielder) - Ryu Ji-hyeok (second baseman) - Kang Min-ho (catcher) - Lewin Diaz (first baseman) - Kim Heon-gon (left fielder) - Park Byung-ho (designated hitter) - Kim Young-woong (third baseman) - Lee Seong-gyu (right fielder) - Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop), with Won Tae-in as the starting pitcher.
KIA’s lineup is composed of Park Chan-ho (shortstop) - Kim Seon-bin (second baseman) - Kim Do-young (third baseman) - Na Sung-bum (designated hitter) - Socrates Brito (center fielder) - Choi Won-jun (right fielder) - Lee Chang-jin (left fielder) - Byeon Woo-hyeok (first baseman) - Kim Tae-gun (catcher). James Neal will start as the pitcher.
The ceremonial first pitch for the 4th game of the Korean Series was thrown by fencing national representative Gu Bon-gil, a native of Daegu and a longtime Samsung fan. Gu Bon-gil, the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist in men’s sabre team fencing, has achieved triple Olympic gold medals, having also won at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The national anthem for the 4th game was sung by musical actress Lisa. Lisa is a beloved heroine known for her outstanding acting and vocal skills in musicals such as Marie Antoinette and Rebecca.
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