Samsung Lions Edge Out Doosan Bears in Thrilling 5-4 Victory: Key Players and Highlights

Jeon Byung-woo / Photo=DB

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The Samsung Lions pulled out a thrilling one-run victory.

Samsung beat the Doosan Bears 5-4 on March 14 at Bears Park in Icheon during a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League exhibition game.

The win moved Samsung to 2-1 in exhibition play. Doosan, denied a third straight win, also sits at 2-1.

Starter Jang Chan-hee lasted three innings, allowing five hits (one home run), two walks and four runs while striking out one. The offense provided enough support for him to earn the victory. Relievers Jin Hee-seong, Jeong Min-seong, Jeong Jae-hoon, Hong Seung-won and Choi Ha-neul each threw a scoreless inning to close out the game.

At the plate, Lee Jae-hyun went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Ham Su-ho and Jeon Byung-woo each recorded one hit and two RBIs.

Doosan starter Lee Young-ha took the loss, giving up six hits, three walks and five runs over three innings while striking out one.

Doosan struck first with a long ball. In the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Park Jun-soon reached on a single to center. After that, Lee Yoo-chan crushed Jang Chan-hee’s second pitch, a 140 km/h fastball (about 87 mph), over the left-center fence for a two-run homer, putting Doosan up 2-0.

Doosan kept the pressure on in the second. Leadoff batter Kim Dae-han drew a walk, and Kim Ki-yeon and Park Gye-beom followed with hits to load the bases with no outs. Jo Soo-haeng struck out looking, but Park Jun-soon drew a four-pitch walk to force in a run. Lee Yoo-chan then hit a sacrifice fly to left that brought Kim Ki-yeon home, extending the lead to 4-0.

Samsung answered with a big third inning. Leadoff hitter Lee Jae-hyun opened with a single to center, and Kim Sung-yoon bunted on the first pitch for an infield hit. Ryu Ji-hyuk flew out to left, but Diaz delivered an RBI single to make it 4-1.

With two outs and the bases loaded after a walk to Kim Young-woong and an infield pop by Kang Min-ho, Ham Su-ho ripped a two-run single to right-center. The next batter, Jeon Byung-woo, followed with a two-run hit of his own, turning a 4-0 deficit into a 5-4 lead for Samsung.

The remainder of the game turned into a tight pitchers’ duel. Samsung held the one-run advantage into the ninth, when manager called on closer Yuk Sun-yeop.

Yuk allowed a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Kang Seung-ho. Kang tried to take second on a wild pitch during Oh Myung-jin’s at-bat but was thrown out on the catcher’s throw. Yuk then got Oh to fly out to center, yielded a hit to Yoon Jun-ho and finished the outing by striking out Ahn Jae-seok looking to preserve the 5-4 win.

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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