With a 3-1 victory over the LG Twins in the playoffs, the Nexen Heroes advanced into the Korean Series for the first time since the team’s founding. The two teams played a total of four games in the playoffs, with the Nexen Heroes winning the first, third and fourth games 6-3, 6-2 and 12-2, respectively.
The Nexen Heroes not only set a record on its first entrance into the Korean Series since establishment, but also set a record for the number of runs batted in (RBI), hits that are associated with the acquiring of runs. During the four playoff games, Nexen Heroes third baseman Kim Min-sung hit a record number of RBIs.
On Oct. 28, the LG Twins played its first playoff game against the Heroes. Although the Twins were initially winning 2-1, with Brad Snyder, LG Twins’ outfielder, hitting a home run, the Twins ultimately lost 3-6.
As the Nexen Heroes were ranked second in the regular season, the team had guaranteed entrance into the playoffs. The LG Twins, on the other hand, as the fourth ranking team in the regular season, was guaranteed entrance only to the semi-playoffs against the NC Dinos, a team that had qualified for the post season every single year since its founding. After defeating the NC Dinos 3-2, the LG Twins qualified for the playoffs for a second consecutive year, after not doing so for sixteen years.
“I was slightly worried about how my team, the LG Twins, would play this year, because they have not been performing well for quite a while,” said Bryan Kwak (10). “But I am extremely happy to see that they did extremely well during the regular season and during the post-season. Even though they lost to the Nexen Heroes this year, they performed very well compared to how they have been performing for the last couple of years. I’m sure that they are going to use their loss this year to perform even better next year.”
In the Korean Series, the highest level of competition in Korean baseball, the Nexen Heroes will play the Samsung Lions, the first placing team in the regular season for four consecutive years. The two teams will play for the best out of seven matches.
The Korean Series begins on Nov. 4 at the Daegu stadium, the Samsung Lions’ home stadium. Tickets for the entire Korean Series have already sold out.
“I think the energy surrounding the Korean Series is unique this year, as it is the Nexen Heroes’ first time in the Korean Series,” said Jennifer Kim (10), long time Samsung Lions fan. “I am excited because I am quite sure that my team, the Samsung Lions, is going to extremely well this season, as they have been playing well for the past few years.”