The Samsung Lions are off to the Korean Series for the first time in nine years.

The Lions defeated the defending champions LG Twins 1-0 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Saturday, taking their best-of-five Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series in four games.

Veteran catcher Kang Min-ho broke a scoreless deadlock with a solo home run in the top of the eighth, after starter Denyi Reyes tossed seven shutout innings in front of a sellout crowd of 23,750.

The Lions, No. 2 seed, will go on to face the top-seeded Kia Tigers in the Korean Series, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul.

The Lions reeled off four straight Korean Series titles from 2011 to 2014, before losing to the Doosan Bears in the championship round in 2015. This is only their second postseason appearance since then.

The Twins’ elimination ensured that the KBO will crown a different champion for the eighth consecutive season. The 2015-2016 Bears are the last team to repeat as champio
ns.

Source: Yonhap News Agency