Baseball isn't always a pitcher's game. But in the postseason, it is. Jurado proves it decisively.

[Financial News] Baseball isn't always a 'pitcher's game.' But Ariel Jurado of the Samsung Lions is proving emphatically that when it comes to the postseason—a short series—it really is.
'The embodiment of dedication,' Jurado carried his playoff MVP momentum straight into the Korean Series (KS). He started Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason Korean Series against the KT Wiz at home at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 6th, delivering a stellar performance over seven innings: six hits, no walks or hit batters, six strikeouts and one run allowed. After throwing 108 pitches, he handed the ball to Lee Seung-min to start the top of the eighth with his team leading 4-1, having fully carried out his duties as the ace.
The biggest opponent in the game was the biting early-winter cold, with temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. Jurado also struggled with his command in the top of the first, allowing back-to-back doubles to Kim Min-hyeok and Sam Hilliard and giving up the first run, which left him somewhat shaken.

But one inning was all the warm-up he needed. Jurado quickly settled in from the second, mixing his signature aggressive pitches inside with fastballs away to induce swings and misses from the KT lineup. In particular, with two outs and a runner on first in the third, he struck out his nemesis Hilliard swinging, firmly taking control of the game.
He overcame the most nerve-racking moment with unshaken determination. With two outs in the sixth, a hard-hit ball by Hilliard struck the back of his right hand. It could have led to a serious injury, but Jurado waved off the trainer who rushed to the mound and, without even throwing a warm-up pitch, immediately got Jang Sung-woo to fly out to center, displaying extraordinary toughness.

Even with one out and a runner on second in the top of the seventh, Jurado retired pinch-hitters Choi Won-jun and Lee Jeong-hun in succession. He roared on the mound, sending the fans filling Daegu Samsung Lions Park into a frenzy.
Jurado fully lived up to manager Park Jin-man's expectations. Before the game, Park had said, “The cold could be a factor, but if Jurado gives us seven innings, that would be ideal.” After throwing a league-leading 197.1 innings in the 2025 season and pitching 150 innings this season despite shoulder pain, Jurado has also recorded three straight quality starts in the postseason—at least six innings with no more than three earned runs—providing the Lions' bid for the championship with their strongest support.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter