Samsung Lions facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Samsung Lions |
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| 삼성 라이온즈 | |||||
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| Information | |||||
| League | KBO League (1982–present) | ||||
| Location | Daegu | ||||
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| Year established | 1982 | ||||
| League championships | 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | ||||
| Korean Series championships | 1985, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 | ||||
| Former ballparks | Daegu Baseball Stadium (1982–2015) | ||||
| Colors | Blue, white and grey |
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| Retired numbers | 10, 22, 36 | ||||
| Ownership | Cheil Worldwide (Samsung's subsidiary) |
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| Manager | Park Jin-man | ||||
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The Samsung Lions (Hangul: 삼성 라이온즈) are a professional baseball team from South Korea. They were started in 1982 and are based in the city of Daegu. The team plays in the KBO League, which is the top baseball league in South Korea. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
The Samsung Lions have won the Korean Series (the championship of the KBO League) eight times. They have also been the runner-up eleven times. They are famous for being the first team to win four Korean Series titles in a row (from 2011 to 2014). They also made history by winning the regular season league title for five years straight (from 2011 to 2015).
Contents
Discover the Samsung Lions' Journey
How the Samsung Lions Began
The Samsung Lions team was formed in 1982. They were one of the first six teams in the new KBO League. In 1985, they won their first championship. That year, they had an amazing record of 77 wins and only 32 losses. This is still the best winning percentage in KBO League history for a single season! Two of their pitchers, Kim Si-jin and Kim ll-young, each won 25 games that season. Because the Lions won both halves of the season, there was no final championship series, and they were named champions right away.
Winning More Championships
The Lions continued their winning ways, taking home the championship in 2002, 2005, and 2006. In each of these years, they had the best record in the league.
In 2010, Ryu Jung-il became the new manager. He led the team to its fifth KBO title in 2011. That same year, the Samsung Lions also won the Asian Series championship. This made them the first team ever to win the regular season, the Korean Series, and the Asian Series all in the same year!
Star Players and New Stadiums
In 2012, a very famous player, Lee Seung-yuop, came back to South Korea after playing in Japan. With his help, the Samsung Lions won their sixth championship. They went on to win two more championships in 2013 and 2014. This brought their total to eight Korean Series championships. In 2016, the Samsung Lions moved into their brand new home, Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
Samsung Lions' Performance Over the Years
The Samsung Lions have played many seasons in the KBO League. Here's a quick look at their journey:
- They started strong, winning their first championship in 1985.
- They had a period of consistent success in the early 2000s, winning multiple titles.
- The years 2011-2014 were their most dominant, with four straight Korean Series wins.
- They moved to a new stadium in 2016.
- The team continues to compete in the KBO League every year.
Meet the Samsung Lions Team
Current Players
Top Players: KBO League MVP Awards
Some Samsung Lions players have been named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the KBO League. This award goes to the best player in the league for that season.
- 1983: Lee Man-soo (catcher)
- 1987: Jang Hyo-jo (outfielder)
- 1993: Kim Seong-rae (infielder)
- 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003: Lee Seung-yuop (infielder) - He won this award five times!
- 2004: Bae Young-soo (pitcher)
Star Batters: Records and Achievements
Best Batting Averages
- 1983 Jang Hyo-jo hit .369
- 1984 Lee Man-soo hit .340
- 1985 Jang Hyo-jo hit .373
- 1986 Jang Hyo-jo hit .329
- 1987 Jang Hyo-jo hit .387
- 1993 Yang Joon-hyuk hit .341
- 1996 Yang Joon-hyuk hit .346
- 1998 Yang Joon-hyuk hit .342
Most Home Runs
- 1983 Lee Man-soo hit 27 home runs
- 1984 Lee Man-soo hit 23 home runs
- 1985 Lee Man-soo hit 22 home runs
- 1987 Kim Seong-rae hit 22 home runs
- 1993 Kim Seong-rae hit 28 home runs
- 1997 Lee Seung-yuop hit 32 home runs
- 1999 Lee Seung-yuop hit 54 home runs
- 2001 Lee Seung-yuop hit 39 home runs
- 2002 Lee Seung-yuop hit 47 home runs
- 2003 Lee Seung-yuop hit 56 home runs
- 2007 Shim Jeong-soo hit 31 home runs
- 2011 Choi Hyoung-woo hit 30 home runs
Honoring Legends: Retired Numbers
Baseball teams sometimes retire jersey numbers to honor their most important players. This means no other player on that team will ever wear that number again. The Samsung Lions have retired three numbers:
- Number 22 was retired for Lee Man-soo. He was a catcher and a powerful hitter who played for the team from 1982 to 1997. Lee Man-soo won the KBO League MVP award in 1983 and was known for winning the "Triple Crown" in batting in 1984 (leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in).
- Number 10 was retired for Yang Joon-hyuk. He was a left-handed batter who played for the Lions for many years. Yang Joon-hyuk led the league in batting average four times and held many career batting records, including the home run record for a while.
- Number 36 was retired for Lee Seung-yuop. He played for the club for 15 seasons and is the all-time KBO League leader in home runs with 467! Lee also holds KBO records for runs scored, RBIs (runs batted in), total bases, and slugging percentage.
 Yang Joon-hyuk RF, DH |
 Lee Man-soo C |
 Lee Seung-yuop IF |
Who Has Managed the Samsung Lions?
A manager is like the head coach of a baseball team. They make important decisions during games and help guide the players. Here are some of the people who have managed the Samsung Lions over the years:
- Seo Young-moo (1982–1983)
- Lee Chung-nam (1983)
- Kim Yeong-duk (1984–1986)
- Jeong Dong-jin (1986) (caretaker)
- Park Young-gil (1987–1988)
- Jeong Dong-jin (1989–1990)
- Kim Sung-keun (1991–1992)
- Woo Yong-deuk (1993–1995)
- Baek In-chun (1996–1997)
- Cho Chang-soo (1997) (caretaker)
- Seo Jeong-hwan (1998–1999)
- Kim Yong-hee (2000)
- Kim Eung-ryong (2001–2004)
- Sun Dong-yol (2005–2010)
- Ryu Joong-il (2011–2016)
- Kim Han-soo (2017–2019)
- Heo Sam-young (2020–2022)
- Park Jin-man (2022–present)
See also
In Spanish: Samsung Lions para niños
