Lions legends participate in Korean Series pregame ceremony

Two of the greatest players in Samsung Lions history participated in a pregame ceremony before the first Korean Series game in a new home stadium.

Former Lions ace Kim Si-jin threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and his former catcher Lee Man-soo crouched behind the plate to do the catching before Game 3 of the Korean Series against the Kia Tigers at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Jang On-yu, grandson of the late Lions outfielder Jang Hyo-jo, stood in the box with a bat for the ceremony.

This is the first Korean Series game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, which opened in 2016.

Kim pitched for the Lions from 1983 to 1988, and was the first Korea Baseball Organization pitcher to reach 100 career wins. He led the KBO with 25 wins in 1985 and 23 wins in 1987.

Lee spent his entire 16-year career with the Lions, starting in the inaugural KBO season in 1982. He became the first player to win the batting Triple Crown in 1984, leading the league with a .340 average, 23 homers and 80 RBIs in 89 games.

He finished his career with 252 home runs and was the first Lions player to have his number retired.

Jang Hyo-jo won four batting titles in a five-year span from 1983 to 1987. He had a .330 lifetime batting average, the second-highest mark in KBO history among hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances. He died in 2011. (Yonhap)