SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- Giving up one hit after another, the Samsung Lions died a slow death in the South Korean baseball postseason against the Doosan Bears in Seoul on Wednesday night.
And no Doosan player better epitomized the club's ruthless efficiency than designated hitter Jose Miguel Fernandez.
The veritable hitting machine from Cuba went 4-for-5 with three RBIs Wednesday, as the Bears routed the Lions 11-3 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium to sweep the best-of-three penultimate round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason.
Fernandez was voted the series MVP after batting 5-for-9 with three RBIs in two games. The Bears are now off to the Korean Series for a record seventh straight year.
After pounding out 12 hits in a 6-4 win on Tuesday, the Bears didn't mess around from the start of Wednesday's game. And Fernandez delivered the team's first hit of the game against starter Baek Jung-hyun.
Two straight singles followed, and Fernandez scored the game's first run.
With the Bears up 3-0 in the second, Fernandez stepped up with men at the corners. He smacked a towering double to deep left field to cash in both runners.
Fernandez wasn't done, as his two-out single in the third inning gave the Bears a 7-1 lead.
He picked up another single for good measure in the fifth. It was Fernandez's first four-hit game in the postseason.
Fernandez did have back-to-back three-hit games in the previous series against the LG Twins last week, and another three-hit effort in the wild card-clinching game against the Kiwoom Heroes on Nov. 2.
Fernandez batted .315 in the regular season, and though a lot of players would love to have that mark, it was Fernandez's worst batting average since he joined the Bears in 2019.
And he's more than made up for it so far in the postseason by hitting .469 (15-for-32) in seven games.
Fernandez entered this series with a .268 career postseason batting average, a far cry from his .333 regular season lifetime average. He has now raised that to .297, and will have a chance to get over .300 during the Korean Series.
And given the way Fernandez has been swinging the bat, it'd be foolish to bet against him.
And Fernandez hasn't just struck fear into opposing pitchers. He said he's scared of himself.
"I think I am playing at 500 percent of my abilities," Fernandez said. "It's great to see all the work I'm putting in every day paying dividends. I will try to stay locked in at the plate in the Korean Series. When there are runners on bases, I will try to bring them home. With no one aboard, I will look to get on base and set up a chance for my teammates."
Source: Yonhap News Agency