Samsung to Battle Doosan in Key 3-Game Series

Doosan Bears manager Kim Kyung-moon and Samsung Lions manager Sun Dong-yeol both attended Korea University in Seoul. When Kim was the head of their college dormitory as a senior, Sun was a junior.

When his catchers suffered injuries in succession last season, Sun asked for a trade with none other than Doosan. The surprise swap of Bears catcher Che Sang-byung for Samsung pitcher Ji Seung-min went without a hitch due to the close relations between both managers.

When it comes to games, however, they have no intent to yield. Their showdowns are dubbed duels between the “Sun” and the “Moon.”

In the 2005 Korean Series, Sun’s Lions won the title by sweeping the Bears in four games.

The Kim-Sun duel is the hottest topic of interest this season in the Korean league, whose regular season is drawing to a close. Samsung was second in the standings Tuesday with 66 wins, 42 losses and a draw, with a 2.5-game lead over third-place Doosan (61-41-2).

The two teams play three games in Samsung’s home field of Daegu Baseball Stadium Tuesday through Thursday. Both teams have shown improvement in recent weeks, and the results of this series could shape the postseason picture.

If Samsung sweeps all three games against Doosan, it could move into the league lead as well as solidify its second-place ranking. The Lions trailed league leaders SK Wyverns by nine games at one point but has closed the gap to four.

Doosan also needs wins in the three-game series versus Samsung. If the Bears end the regular season in third, they must play a semi-playoff with the fourth-place team. Doosan’s goal is a Korean Series victory and thus the team needs to advance directly to the playoffs if it fails to gain the top spot in the regular season.

Samsung is led by slugger Park Sok-min, who hit .600 (9-15) in five games last week with four homers and nine runs batted in.

For Doosan, Son Si-hun hit .545 (6-11), two home runs and six RBIs in three games last week. The Bears also welcomed back from the injured list slugger Kim Dong-joo.

uni@donga.com