Samsung Lions

The Samsung Lions (Korean: 삼성 라이온즈)^[1] are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Championship eight times, and also finished as runners-up on eleven occasions. The Samsung Lions are the first team to win four consecutive Korean Series titles (2011–2014), and are also the first team to win the regular season league title for five consecutive years (2011–2015).

Samsung Lions
삼성 라이온즈
Logo Cap insignia
Information
League	KBO League (1982–present)
Location	Daegu
Ballpark	Daegu Samsung Lions Park (2016–present) Pohang Baseball Stadium (2012–present)
Established	1982; 43 years ago (1982)
Korean Series championships	1985, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
League championships	2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Former ballparks	Daegu Baseball Stadium (1982–2015)
Colors	Blue, white and grey
Retired numbers	10, 22, 36
Ownership	Cheil Worldwide (Samsung's subsidiary)
Manager	Park Jin-man
Website	www.samsunglions.com
Current uniforms

During the 1980s and 1990s, the team was closely associated with the conservative political identity of their home region of Yeongnam. As a result, they developed a rivalry with the Kia Tigers of the liberal Honam region.

History

The Samsung Lions were founded in 1982 as one of the original six KBO League teams. They won their first championship in 1985, going 40-14-1 in the first half and 37-18 in the second half for a total of 77–32 for the best one-season winning percentage in KBO League history (a record that still stands). The 1985 team had two 25-game-winners on their staff, Kim Si-jin and Kim ll-young; as the Lions were winners of both half-season pennants that year, no Korean Series was held and the Lions were declared champions outright.^[2]

The Lions would also win the championship in 2002, 2005 and 2006, having the best record in each one of those years. In 2010, Ryu Jung-il was hired as the new manager of the Samsung Lions. He led the team to the best record in the league and its fifth KBO title in 2011. After the KBO League, the Samsung Lions won the Asian Series championship. The Samsung Lions became the first team to win the pennant race, the Korean Series, and the Asian Series in the same year.

In 2012, one of the most notable players on the team, Lee Seung-yuop, returned to South Korea from Japan. With his help, the Samsung Lions won their sixth championship in the 2012 season. They won another two championships in 2013 and 2014, for a total of eight Korean Series championships.^[3][4] In 2016, Samsung Lions moved to their new stadium, Daegu Samsung Lions Park.^[5]

Team identity, politics and rivalry with Kia Tigers

Main article: Conservatism in South Korea

The Samsung Lions, established in 1982, are closely tied to the city of Daegu and the Yeongnam region.^[6] The club emerged during a period marked by regional and political divisions in South Korea. In the years that followed, the Lions became a prominent symbol of local pride and conservative identity within Yeongnam, with their growth in the Korea Baseball Organisation reflecting the region’s economic strength, partly backed by the Samsung conglomerate. The team’s rivalry with the Kia Tigers of Gwangju has often been seen in the context of Korea’s broader regional and political divides. The Lions represent the conservative Yeongnam region, while the Tigers are based in the liberal Honam region. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, matches between the two sides were characterised by intense fan passion and occasional unrest, mirroring deeper social and political tensions.^[6] For example, in 1986, the Korean Series between the Samsung Lions and Haitai Tigers was marked by serious fan violence. A Tigers supporter struck Lions pitcher Jin Dong-han with a thrown soju bottle in Game 1, and after later games in Daegu, Lions fans rioted, throwing bottles onto the field and setting fire to the Tigers’ team bus. Police used tear gas to control the crowds on several occasions.^[6][7] In 1987, the two teams met again amid rising political tension linked to South Korea's democratic transition. Although no violence occurred, the lingering memories of the previous year’s riots and the upcoming presidential election gave added significance to the series, which the Tigers won in a four-game sweep. That year, following nationwide pro-democracy protests, conservative presidential candidate Roh Tae-woo, a former general from Daegu in the Yeongnam region, announced the June 29 Declaration, agreeing to implement direct presidential elections. Roh was set to face Kim Dae-jung, a long-standing opposition figure from South Jeolla Province in the Honam region.^[6]

Season-by-season records

Season	Stadium	League	Finish	Regular season									Postseason	Awards
				Rank	Games	Wins	Losses	Draws	Win%	BA	HR	ERA
1982	Daegu Baseball Stadium	KBO	2/6	2/6	40	26	14	0	.650	.266	57	2.70	Lost Korean Series vs. OB Bears (1–1–4)
				1/6	40	28	12	0	.700
1983		KBO	4/6	5/6	50	21	26	3	.447	.263	90	3.42	Did not qualify	Lee Man-soo (MVP)
				2/6	50	25	24	1	.510
1984		KBO	2/6	1/6	50	32	18	0	.640	.270	78	3.35	Lost Korean Series vs. Lotte Giants (3–4)
				5/6	50	23	27	0	.460
1985		KBO	1/6	1/6	55	40	14	1	.741	.276	97	2.98	Not held[a]
				1/6	55	37	18	0	.673
1986		KBO	2/7	1/7	54	39	15	0	.722	.276	74	2.95	Won playoff vs. OB Bears (3–2) Lost Korean Series vs. Haitai Tigers (1–4)
				4/7	54	31	22	1	.585
1987		KBO	2/7	1/7	54	33	21	0	.611	.300	105	3.58	Lost Korean Series vs. Haitai Tigers (0–4)	Jang Hyo-jo (MVP)
				1/7	54	31	23	0	.444
1988		KBO	3/7	5/7	54	23	30	1	.435	.278	85	4.18	Lost playoff vs. Binggrae Eagles (0–3)
				2/7	54	33	20	1	.620
1989		KBO	4/7	4/7	120	57	58	5	.496	.272	96	4.42	Did not qualify
1990		KBO	2/7	2/7	120	66	52	2	.558	.263	131	4.13	Won semi-playoff vs. Binggrae Eagles (2–0) Won playoff vs. Haitai Tigers (3–0) Lost Korean Series vs. LG Twins (0–4)
1991		KBO	3/8	3/8	126	70	55	1	.560	.272	108	4.23	Won semi-playoff vs. Lotte Giants (2–1–1) Lost playoff vs. Binggrae Eagles (1–3)
1992		KBO	4/8	4/8	126	67	57	2	.540	.265	124	4.55	Lost semi-playoff vs. Lotte Giants (0–2)
1993		KBO	2/8	2/8	126	73	48	5	.599	.268	133	2.95	Won playoff vs. LG Twins (3–2) Lost Korean Series vs. Haitai Tigers (2–1–4)	Kim Seong-rae (MVP) Yang Joon-hyuk (ROTY)
1994		KBO	5/8	5/8	126	60	64	2	.484	.260	106	3.47	Did not qualify
1995		KBO	5/8	5/8	126	60	60	6	.500	.250	94	3.90	Did not qualify	Lee Dong-su (ROTY)
1996		KBO	6/8	6/8	126	54	67	5	.448	.249	88	4.23	Did not qualify
1997		KBO	3/8	4/8	126	66	53	7	.552	.277	165	4.23	Won semi-playoff vs. Ssangbangwool Raiders (2–1) Lost playoff vs. LG Twins (2–3)	Lee Seung-yuop (MVP)
1998		KBO	3/8	2/8	126	66	58	2	.532	.268	143	4.32	Lost playoff vs. LG Twins (1–3)
1999		Magic League	4/8	1/4	132	73	57	2	.562	.273	207	5.16	Lost playoff vs. Lotte Giants (3–4)	Lee Seung-yuop (MVP)
2000		Dream League	3/8	3/4	133	69	59	5	.539	.269	177	4.64	Lost playoff vs. Hyundai Unicorns (0–4)
2001		KBO	2/8	1/8	133	81	52	0	.609	.277	162	4.39	Lost Korean Series vs. Doosan Bears (2–4)	Lee Seung-yuop (MVP)
2002		KBO	1/8	1/8	133	82	47	4	.636	.284	191	3.92	Won Korean Series vs. LG Twins (4–2)	Lee Seung-yuop (MVP)
2003		KBO	4/8	3/8	133	76	53	4	.589	.284	213	4.37	Lost semi-playoff vs. SK Wyverns (0–2)	Lee Seung-yuop (MVP)
2004		KBO	2/8	2/8	133	73	52	8	.584	.269	132	3.76	Won playoff vs. Doosan Bears (3–1) Lost Korean Series vs. Hyundai Unicorns (2–3–4)	Bae Young-soo (MVP)
2005		KBO	1/8	1/8	126	74	48	4	.607	.268	111	3.83	Won Korean Series vs. Doosan Bears (4–0)	Oh Seung-hwan (ROTY)
2006		KBO	1/8	1/8	126	73	50	3	.593	.255	73	3.33	Won Korean Series vs. Hanwha Eagles (4–1–1)
2007		KBO	4/8	4/8	126	62	60	4	.508	.254	86	3.71	Lost semi-playoff vs. Hanwha Eagles (1–2)
2008		KBO	4/8	4/8	126	65	61	0	.516	.258	92	4.42	Won semi-playoff vs. Lotte Giants (3–0) Lost playoff vs. Doosan Bears (2–4)	Choi Hyoung-woo (ROTY)
2009		KBO	5/8	5/8	133	64	69	0	.481	.275	146	4.98	Did not qualify
2010		KBO	2/8	2/8	133	79	52	2	.594	.272	118	3.94	Won playoff vs. Doosan Bears (3–2) Lost Korean Series vs. SK Wyverns (0–4)
2011		KBO	1/8	1/8	133	79	50	4	.612	.259	95	3.35	Won Korean Series vs. SK Wyverns (4–1)	Bae Young-seop (ROTY)
2012		KBO	1/8	1/8	133	80	51	2	.611	.272	89	3.44	Won Korean Series vs. SK Wyverns (4–2)
2013		KBO	1/9	1/9	128	75	51	2	.595	.283	113	3.99	Won Korean Series vs. Doosan Bears (4–3)
2014		KBO	1/9	1/9	128	78	47	3	.624	.301	161	4.52	Won Korean Series vs. Nexen Heroes (4–2)
2015		KBO	2/10	1/10	144	88	56	0	.611	.302	176	4.70	Lost Korean Series vs. Doosan Bears (1–4)	Koo Ja-wook (ROTY)
2016	Daegu Samsung Lions Park	KBO	9/10	9/10	144	65	78	1	.455	.293	142	5.65	Did not qualify
2017		KBO	9/10	9/10	144	55	84	5	.396	.280	145	5.90	Did not qualify
2018		KBO	6/10	6/10	144	68	72	4	.486	.288	146	5.19	Did not qualify
2019		KBO	8/10	8/10	144	60	83	1	.420	.256	122	4.64	Did not qualify
2020		KBO	8/10	8/10	144	64	75	5	.460	.268	129	4.78	Did not qualify
2021		KBO	3/10	2/10	144	76	59	9	.563	.267	133	4.30	Lost playoff vs. Doosan Bears (0–2)
2022		KBO	7/10	7/10	144	66	76	2	.465	.270	103	4.29	Did not qualify
2023		KBO	8/10	8/10	144	61	82	1	.427	.263	88	4.60	Did not qualify
2024		KBO	2/10	2/10	144	78	64	2	.549	.269	185	4.68	Won playoff vs. LG Twins (3–1) Lost Korean Series vs. Kia Tigers (1–4)

1. The 1985 Korean Series was not played, as the Samsung Lions finished first in both parts of the regular league season and were thus declared champions outright.

Team

Current roster

Korean Baseball League MVP

• 1983: Lee Man-soo (catcher)
• 1987: Jang Hyo-jo (outfielder)
• 1993: Kim Seong-rae (infielder)
• 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003: Lee Seung-yuop (infielder)
• 2004: Bae Young-soo (pitcher)

Player records

Batting average

1983 Jang Hyo-jo AVG .369

1984 Lee Man-soo AVG .340

1985 Jang Hyo-jo AVG .373

1986 Jang Hyo-jo AVG .329

1987 Jang Hyo-jo AVG .387

1993 Yang Joon-hyuk AVG .341

1996 Yang Joon-hyuk AVG .346

1998 Yang Joon-hyuk AVG .342

Home runs

1983 Lee Man-soo 27 HR

1984 Lee Man-soo 23 HR

1985 Lee Man-soo 22 HR

1987 Kim Seong-rae 22 HR

1993 Kim Seong-rae 28 HR

1997 Lee Seung-yuop 32 HR

1999 Lee Seung-yuop 54 HR

2001 Lee Seung-yuop 39 HR

2002 Lee Seung-yuop 47 HR

2003 Lee Seung-yuop 56 HR

2007 Shim Jeong-soo 31 HR

2011 Choi Hyoung-woo 30 HR

Retired numbers

The first number retired by the Samsung Lions organization was number 22, in honour of catcher and slugger Lee Man-soo, who played for the team from 1982 to 1997, and was later a coach with the Chicago White Sox of the MLB and the SK Wyverns. Lee was a five-time KBO League Golden Glove Award-winner with the Lions, won the KBO League MVP in 1983,^[8] and the hitting Triple Crown in 1984. The second number retired by the Samsung Lions organization was number 10, in honour of left-handed batter Yang Joon-hyuk, who played for the team from 1993 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2010.^[8] Yang led the league in batting four times, and holds six career batting records (including at one time the home run record with 351, now surpassed by Lee Seung-yeop).^[8] The third retired number, 36, was retired in honour of Lee Seung-yuop, who has spent 15 seasons with the club and is the all-time KBO League leader in home runs with 467.^[9] Lee also holds the KBO records for runs scored, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, and OPS.

Yang Joon-hyuk RF, DH

Lee Man-soo C

Lee Seung-yuop IF

Managers

• Seo Young-moo (1982–1983)
• Lee Chung-nam (1983)
• Kim Yeong-duk (1984–1986)
• Jeong Dong-jin (1986) (caretaker)
• Park Young-gil (1987–1988)
• Jeong Dong-jin (1989–1990)
• Kim Sung-keun (1991–1992)
• Woo Yong-deuk (1993–1995)
• Baek In-chun (1996–1997)
• Cho Chang-soo (1997) (caretaker)
• Seo Jeong-hwan (1998–1999)
• Kim Yong-hee (2000)
• Kim Eung-ryong (2001–2004)
• Sun Dong-yol (2005–2010)
• Ryu Joong-il (2011–2016)
• Kim Han-soo (2017–2019)
• Heo Sam-young (2020–2022)
• Park Jin-man (2022–present)