‘Batting .500, with a burning thigh’: Captain Koo Ja-wook’s fiery fight through injury finally lifts him to Korean Series MVP honors with the Lions

[Financial News] Captain Koo Ja-wook, 33, battled on with a burning thigh and poured out blood-and-guts effort at the forefront of the Lions in every game. He claimed the coveted MVP honor along with the first Korean Series (KS) championship ring of his career.
After clinching the team’s 12-1 win and a 4-1 series victory over kt wiz in Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 8th, Koo Ja-wook secured the Lions’ ninth championship overall (V9)—their first in 12 years. He was named series MVP with overwhelming support in the press vote.
It was a week in which he proved himself worthy of the captaincy. A hamstring injury suffered late in the regular season had made Koo Ja-wook’s availability uncertain, but he insisted on playing as the designated hitter, saying, “I feel so sorry for the bullpen pitchers. I’ll do whatever it takes to get a hit.” He then played at full throttle through all five Korean Series games, seemingly laughing off the dugout’s concerns.


His final numbers over the five KS games were a .500 batting average (10 hits in 20 at-bats), 1 home run, 6 RBIs and 5 runs scored. He got a hit in every game from Game 1 through Game 5, stepping up in every crucial situation to pound kt wiz’s pitching staff.
Koo Ja-wook’s bat came through in the decisive moment of Game 5, when the championship celebrations began. With his team trailing 0-1, he hit an RBI double to right off kt wiz ace Daniel with two outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the third, immediately tying the score at 1-1. Then, when the next batter, Lewin Díaz, hit a ball off the fence, Koo sprinted all the way from second to home on his ailing thigh and personally scored the go-ahead, game-winning run to make it 2-1.
With a 3-1 lead and a runner on first with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, he followed with a single to right, setting the stage for the team’s eight-run big inning. He then hit a single up the middle in his final at-bat in the eighth, completing a three-hit game before being replaced by a pinch runner amid a standing ovation from the fans.



His bat was decisive throughout the series. In Game 1, down 0-8, he launched a home run to left-center that sparked the comeback. In Game 2, he had two hits and drew an automatic intentional walk in the 10th inning. In Game 3, he hit a two-run, bases-clearing triple that brought down So Hyeong-jun. And in Game 4, he drew a walk in the bottom of the first to help set up a six-run big inning, then added a key RBI double in the seventh. Captain Koo Ja-wook was there for every dramatic moment for Samsung.
Koo Ja-wook proved the mettle of a captain, pouring out his fighting spirit despite injury. At the heart of the Lions’ ninth championship in franchise history—their coronation in Daegu after 12 years—stood Koo Ja-wook, the standout MVP who lifted the championship trophy with fiery determination.


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