(Yonhap News) -- The SK Wyverns got past the Samsung Lions 4-1 Monday to even the ongoing South Korean baseball championship series.
In Game 4 of the Korean Series at Munhak Stadium here, west of Seoul, Park Jae-sang and Choi Jeong blasted back-to-back home runs in the fourth and the bullpen held the opponents to two hits over the final four innings for the home team Wyverns.
They have now won two straight after losing the first two in this best-of-seven affair.
SK Wyverns players rejoice after beating the Samsung Lions 4-1 in the ongoing South Korean baseball championship series on Monday. (Yonhap)
This is the third straight Korean Series clash between these two clubs. The Wyverns swept the Lions in 2010 but the Lions got their revenge last year. The fifth game will be played at Jamsil Stadium, a neutral venue in Seoul, at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The 2007 Wyverns remain the only team in the league's 30-year history to come back from a 2-0 Korean Series deficit to win the championship. They lost the first two against the Doosan Bears and then went on to win the next four to clinch their first KBO title.
The Lions' starter Mitch Talbot retired the first 10 batters he faced, striking out five and allowing just one ball to leave the infield. Then with one out in the bottom fourth, Park Jae-sang broke the scoreless deadlock with a solo shot over the right field wall. Two pitches later, Choi Jeong followed up with a home run over the left field.
With two outs, Kim Kang-min drove in the third run of the inning with a single to left.
The Lions got one back in the top sixth on Choi Hyung-woo's sacrifice fly, but with runners on first and second with two outs, Cho Dong-chan struck out swinging to kill the rally.
Samsung put a runner on base every inning except for the second and eighth, but mustered only one run on this night against four SK pitchers.
The Wyverns made it 4-1 in the seventh, as pinch hitter Cho In-sung hit a sacrifice fly to left.
SK's starter Kim Kwang-hyun earned the victory with five solid innings, giving up a run on six hits while striking out four. Jung Woo-ram recorded the final three outs for the save.
Talbot took the loss after allowing three runs in six innings. He struck out nine but was undone by the two SK long balls.
Under a KBO rule designed to draw more fans, if a team with the home field advantage in the Korean Series plays at a park with a capacity smaller than 25,000, Games 5 through 7, if necessary, will be played at Jamsil, which sits 27,000 in South Korea's biggest market.
The Lions hold the home field thanks to their first-place finish in the regular season. If this year's Korean Series goes the distance, they will be the home team and bat last in Games 5 and 7 at Jamsil.
Daegu Baseball Stadium, the Lions' home, seats only 10,000, according to the KBO.
