“Where do you find a foreign player like this?” Jurado shines with seven innings and no earned runs, named playoff MVP and leads Samsung to the Korean Series

[Financial News] In a winner-take-all showdown that would decide the fate of the short series, the Lions’ foreign ace proved with a perfect outing why he is the team’s No. 1 starter.
Ariel Jurado of the Samsung Lions powered his way to playoff (PO) Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors with a dazzling display of grit and masterful control in high-pressure situations, leading the team to the Korean Series (KS) for the first time in two years.
Jurado started the deciding Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason playoff at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 1st. He pitched brilliantly over seven innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out three and giving up one unearned run, to earn the win. Backed by Jurado’s stellar outing, Samsung routed the Kia Tigers 6-1 to clinch a 3-2 series victory and secure a place in the KS.


Jurado took the mound that day already facing a physical challenge. He had thrown a hefty 108 pitches in Game 2 on the 27th of last month, delivering a gutsy 62⁄3 innings while allowing two runs, and had returned to the mound after just four days of rest. But Jurado silenced the Kia lineup with remarkable efficiency, covering seven innings on 95 pitches.
His pitching was dominant. His composure and experience shone through despite a run of bad luck with errors by the fielders. In the top of the third, Ha Joo-seok reached base on a fielding error by first baseman Lewin Díaz, then scored on Park Jae-hyun’s RBI triple. The run was not charged as earned.
Even in the top of the sixth, when he faced his greatest trouble, he got no help from the defense.
Third baseman Kim Young-woong failed to field Kim Do-yeong’s routine grounder to open the inning, allowing him to reach base. Jurado then gave up a single to right to Na Sung-bum, leaving him in a one-out, first-and-second situation. But he put out the fire himself, striking out Kia veterans Kim Sun-bin and Han Jun-soo in succession. After fanning Han, he roared on the mound, swinging the momentum firmly to Samsung. Jurado also induced a double play to finish the top of the seventh scoreless, then handed the ball to Lee Seung-min in the top of the eighth.


Jurado started Games 2 and 5 in the series, pitching 132⁄3 innings and recording a 1.32 ERA and a 2-0 record. He swept 47 of the 79 votes cast by the press (59.5%) to claim series MVP honors.
He beat veterans Choi Hyung-woo (20 votes) and Ryu Ji-hyeok (5 votes) to take home the 3 million won prize and the trophy.
After struggling in two games in October late in the regular season, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) over 101⁄3 innings, Jurado made a complete comeback on the most important stage of the autumn and once again underscored that he is an irreplaceable ace in Samsung’s pitching rotation.

[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter