Samsung Lions

Samsung Lions is a South Korean professional baseball team. It is one of the first 6 teams which joined the Korean professional baseball league in 1982. The team is based in Daegu and plays at Daegu baseball stadium. The mascot of this team is a lion called Bleo.   

1980s - 1990s

Samsung Lions is the only team which has won a season without the Korean Series by attaining a unified win both in the first half and second half in 1985. Even though the team played in the Korean Series six times from 1980s to 1990s, it ended up six-time runner-ups in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, and 1993.  

2000s

In 2001, as an attempt to win the Korean Series, Samsung Lions hired Kim Eung-Ryong as the manager, who had won the Korean Series 9 times in Haitai Tigers. After a runner-up season in 2001, finally, Samsung Lions defeated LG Twins in the 2002 Korean Series. The team won the Korean Series again in 2005 and 2006 under the manager, Sun Dong-Ryul.

2010s

In 2011, Samsung Lions won the Korean series defeating SK Wyverns and became the first Korean team which has won the Asian series. By beating Doosan Bears in the 2013 Korean series, it also became the first team which has won the Korean Series for three years in a row from 2011 to 2013. They beat Nexen Heroes in the 2014 Korean series, winning the Korean Series for four years in a row. Now, the team has won the Korean series 8 times including the season in 1985, which is the second most, following Kia Tigers, the 11-time winner. However, Samsung Lions lost to Doosan Bears in the 2015 Korean Series, and never reached the postseason from 2016 to 2020.   

Franchise stars

With the long history and stable finance, the team has many franchise stars.

Lee Man-Soo

Lee Man-Soo, nicknamed "Hulk",  was a catcher in Samsung Lions for 16 years from 1982 to 1997. He was named league MVP in 1983 as the first triple crown winner. His number 22 became the first retired number by Samsung Lions in 2003. 

Yang Joon-Hyuk

Yang Joon-Hyuk, nicknamed "Yangshin", was a left-handed outfielder. He debuted with his shocking first season in Samsung Lions, winning Rookie of the Year in 1993. He has 9 KBO all-time No.1 records, including home runs, hits, doubles, total bases, RBI, walks, runs, games played, and at-bats. His number 10 also became the retired number by Samsung Lions. 

Lee Seung-Yeob

Lee Seung-Yeob, nicknamed "Lion King", is a retired left-handed first-baseman. Even though he played in Japan for eight years, he has been awarded five-time season MVPs, eight-time Golden Gloves, and eight-time All-stars. Especially, in 2003, he hit 56 home runs in a season, which was the Asian home-run record. In 2012, He came back to Samsung Lions from Orix Buffaloes, and was an active player until 2017.