Key members of the Kia Tigers’ old championship teams took the field for the ceremony before Game 1 of the Korean Series between the Tigers and the Samsung Lions on Monday.

Ex-Tigers manager Kim Eung-yong, who guided the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club to nine Korean Series titles between 1983 and 1997, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul.

Former Tigers first baseman Kim Sung-han stood in the batter’s box, and ex-outfielder Kim Jong-mo did the catching behind the plate.

Kim Eung-yong, now 85, oversaw the golden days of the Tigers franchise, when they were run by Haitai Confectionery. After capturing their first title in 1983, the Tigers reeled off four consecutive championships from 1986 to 1989. They collected more championship rings in 1991, 1993, 1996 and 1997.

Kim also managed the Lions to the Korean Series title in 2002 and served as their president from 2005 to 2010, during which they added two more titles.

Three of t
hose victories — 1986, 1987 and 1993 — came at the expense of the Lions.

This is the two rivals’ first postseason meeting since 1993.

Kim Sung-han, who played for the Tigers from 1982 to 1995, won regular-season MVP awards in 1985 and 1988. He was a two-way player early on, pulling off the double duty of pitching and hitting, from 1982 to 1986.

In 1985, Kim led the KBO in home runs, hits and doubles, while ranking in the top five in batting average, runs scored and RBIs. In 1988, he became the first player to record at least 20 home runs and 20 steals in a season, with 26 homers and 32 steals. He also managed the Tigers from 2001 to 2004.

Kim Jong-mo spent his entire 11-year career with the Tigers, from 1982 to 1992, and finished in the top five in the batting race four times. The four-time Golden Glove winner was voted the 1987 All-Star Game MVP.

Other members of those championship teams attended Monday’s game.

Source: Yonhap News Agency