PVL: Jackie Acuña leads Nxled’s block party vs former teammates

Inquirer.net - Nov 7, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Jackie Acuña, the lead host of Nxled’s non-stop block party this conference, was thrilled to go up against her former teammates-turned-Capital1 duo Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos on Saturday. Facing her ex-Cignal teammates, Acuña helped Nxled stay unbeaten in five games, scoring seven including three blocks in their 25-13, 25-20, 25-18 sweep

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PVL: Chargers survive Flying Titans in 5 sets
Nov 7, 2026

PVL: Chargers survive Flying Titans in 5 sets

MANILA, Philippines — Mars Alba sealed the victory for the Akari Chargers by rejecting Sisi Rondina’s attack, ending a grueling five-set battle, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 16-14, in the 2026-27 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference-Siklab Series on Saturday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. The Chargers held a  14-11 cushion in the deciding set before the Flying Titans stormed back with a 3-0 run, sparked by Eya Laure and Kat Tolentino, to force a 14-all deadlock. Eli Soyud answered immediately with an off-the-block kill that put Akari on match point at 15-14. Rondina loaded up for the equalizer, but Alba was there to block her attempt, allowing Akari to clinch a 16-14 win. Alba then pointed upwards and made a turn around after blocking Rondina. The Akari playmaker finished with 19 excellent sets, along with three points. “I think it’s normal to have high emotions, knowing what kind of player I am, and that’s how I play; there’s always swag. I wasn’t thinking about anything during that block; I just told myself that we should finish the game,” Alba, who played three conferences for Choco Mucho, told the media after the game. Ivy Lacsina made a triple-double performance for Akari with 17 points, along with 11 excellent digs, and 14 excellent receptions, as Soyud also chipped in 17. Choco Mucho relied on Laure’s 16-point outing, while Kat Tolentino added 15. Akari and Choco Mucho are both tied with a 3-3 win-loss record.

Lions rally past Wiz to take Korean Series lead
Nov 7, 2026

Lions rally past Wiz to take Korean Series lead

The Samsung Lions came from behind to defeat the KT Wiz 5-1 in Game 3 of the Korean Series at home Friday, taking a lead in the best-of-seven showdown by riding one big inning. Starter Ariel Jurado tossed seven innings of one-run ball and captain Koo Ja-wook delivered a two-run triple in the crucial second inning before a sellout crowd of 23,550 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Lions now lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday in Daegu. Park Seung-kyu smoked a solo shot for some insurance in the eighth. This is the 18th Korean Series in which teams were tied at 1-1 through two games. In those instances, Game 3 winners went on to capture the title 16 times. The Lions prevailed despite being outhit 7-4. The Wiz scored the first run in the top of the first, with two doubles off Jurado. Kim Min-hyuck led off the game with a two-bagger down the right field line. Then with two outs, cleanup Sam Hilliard doubled off the top of the center field fence to cash in Kim for a 1-0 lead. It was Hilliard's third double and third RBI of this series. Th

Wiz star Hilliard taking advantage of rubber ball training during Korean Series
Nov 7, 2026

Wiz star Hilliard taking advantage of rubber ball training during Korean Series

DAEGU — Before he steps into the cage for his pregame batting practice, KT Wiz outfielder Sam Hilliard hits rubber balls tossed by a coach. Hitting them is not just for fun. Hilliard said he first did it a few years ago while in the U.S. minor leagues. He stopped hitting rubber balls but then returned to his old practice ways earlier this year at the suggestion of hitting coach Kim Kang, as he was trying to break out of a slump in his first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. Hilliard was batting .232 at the end of April, the lowest mark by any qualified foreign hitter at the time, though he also had five home runs in 28 games. In May, Hilliard burst out with eight homers and a .350 batting average in 25 games. He has not looked back since. He finished the year by leading the KBO with 139 RBIs and ranked second with 44 home runs. He has thrived in his first Korean Series against the Samsung Lions, too, batting .583 (7-for-12) with three doubles and three RBIs in three games. No one has more hits in this series, and Hilliard has hit one more double than the entire Lions roster. In

Lions manager benches injured catcher for 1st time in postseason
Nov 7, 2026

Lions manager benches injured catcher for 1st time in postseason

DAEGU — After starting eight consecutive postseason games for the Samsung Lions despite dealing with an oblique injury, catcher Kang Min-ho was benched for the start of Game 4 of the Korean Series on Saturday. Manager Park Jin-man replaced the 41-year-old Kang with the 26-year-old backstop Kim Do-hwan. The Lions defeated the KT Wiz 5-1 in a Friday evening game to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship battle, and the teams will have a quick turnaround for an afternoon game Saturday. "We have the back-to-back night game and day game, and he was just about to collapse," Park said of Kang, who is batting 0-for-6 in this series but had remained in the lineup for his defensive contributions. "I just felt this was the right time to get him off his feet." Kim will make his first career postseason start, and he will catch an even younger pitcher in the 19-year-old starter Jang Chan-hee. This is also the first postseason start for Jang, a third-round pick in the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization draft. "I hope these two will bring some energy out there today," Park said. "Chan-hee has

Wiz manager demands more from star slugger with team trailing in Korean Series
Nov 7, 2026

Wiz manager demands more from star slugger with team trailing in Korean Series

DAEGU — With his KT Wiz trailing the Samsung Lions 2-1 in the best-of-seven Korean Series, manager Lee Kang-chul on Saturday demanded more from his All-Star slugger Ahn Hyun-min. After three games, Ahn is just 2-for-13 with four strikeouts and two walks at the plate. He won the 2025 Rookie of the Year award in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) after hitting 22 homers and driving in 80 runs. This year, despite being slowed by injuries, Ahn still smacked 14 homers in 94 games. In both years, he had an on-base percentage of over .440, including his league-leading mark of .448 in 2025. His .267 on-base percentage in the Korean Series leaves a lot to be desired for the Wiz, especially because Ahn has batted in front of Sam Hilliard, the regular-season RBI leader with 139, who is also leading the Wiz with three RBIs in the Korean Series. "Hilliard is in great form, but we need Hyun-min to get on base more often in front of him to give him RBI opportunities," Lee said before Game 4 of the series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. "Because Hyun-min is not reachi

Lions pitcher Chris Paddack: proud Texan with ice in veins
Nov 7, 2026

Lions pitcher Chris Paddack: proud Texan with ice in veins

DAEGU — Samsung Lions starting pitcher Chris Paddack is a proud Texan. The Austin native dons a full suit, completed with a cowboy hat and boots, on the day of his starts, and he once even asked his team interpreter to put on a suit himself earlier in the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. Paddack also takes pride in his work ethic and his ability to rise to the occasion in key spots. The 30-year-old right-hander has been just the type of postseason workhorse that teams need to win championships, and thanks in large part to Paddack, the Lions are sitting two wins away from capturing their first Korean Series title since 2014. They lead the best-of-seven championship battle 2-1. Paddack threw 295 pitches in a recent 10-day span. He made his KBO postseason debut Oct. 26 in Game 1 of the previous series against the Kia Tigers, making 94 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Then he started Game 4 of that series on three days' rest on Oct. 30, throwing 99 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. On Wednesday, he got the ball in Game 2 of the Korean Series, and he threw 102 pitches in seven inni

Lions to start homegrown ace in bid to clinch Korean Series title
Nov 7, 2026

Lions to start homegrown ace in bid to clinch Korean Series title

DAEGU — The Samsung Lions will send their homegrown ace Won Tae-in to the mound in their first crack at clinching the 2026 Korean Series title Sunday. The Lions lead the KT Wiz 3-1 in the best-of-seven battle, following a 10-5 win in Game 4 on Saturday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The fifth game, set for 2 p.m. Sunday in Daegu, will be the first elimination game of the series. Won will make his first start for the Lions this postseason after making three relief appearances in the previous series against the Kia Tigers and another in Game 2 of the Korean Series on Wednesday. Won, a career starter, was thrust into the bullpen role after the Lions' All-Star closer Kim Jae-yoon suffered an upper body injury in October that knocked him out of the postseason. In that game, Won gave up two hits and one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings. With his pregame routine as a starting pitcher all thrown out of whack, Won admitted his body is not in optimal form. "But my goal is to pitch as well as I can regardless of the situation," Won said Saturday. "My focus will be on ta

Young pitchers help put Lions on brink of Korean Series title
Nov 7, 2026

Young pitchers help put Lions on brink of Korean Series title

DAEGU — At the tender age of 19, Samsung Lions starter Jang Chan-hee helped put his team on the verge of their first Korean Series title in a dozen years Saturday with a better-than-expected performance. Jang held the KT Wiz to a run on two hits in four rock solid innings, as the Lions prevailed 10-5 in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Lions lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, and can clinch the championship in Game 5 scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday in Daegu. At 19 years, one month and two days old, became the second youngest pitcher to start a Korean Series game. Before the game, Lions manager Park Jin-man said he hoped Jang would pitch with the level of energy and fearlessness that he had shown during the regular season. Jang had a rocky first inning, though, as he surrendered a solo home run to Jang Jin-hyuk on just his ninth pitch of the game. He walked the next batter but escaped the inning with no further damage. Jang's teammates then staked him to a 6-1 lead, as they batted around and roughed up starter Logan Allen to the tu

Lions beat Wiz to reach brink of Korean Series title
Nov 7, 2026

Lions beat Wiz to reach brink of Korean Series title

DAEGU — The Samsung Lions are a win away from capturing the South Korean baseball championship. The Lions defeated the KT Wiz 10-5 in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Saturday, taking the 3-1 stranglehold on the best-of-seven battle. The Lions can clinch their first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) title in 12 years with a victory in Game 5 scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. On the 19 previous occasions when a team went down 3-1 in the Korean Series, only the 2013 Lions rallied to win the championship. After allowing a run in the top of the first inning, the Lions responded with a six-spot in the bottom first en route to their third straight victory in this series. No. 2 hitter Park Seung-kyu drove in three runs, and the 19-year-old starter Jang Chan-hee gave the Lions four innings of one-run ball. Reliever Lee Jae-hee worked 2 2/3 perfect innings. The teams combined for 19 walks and hit-by-pitches, the most ever in a Korean Series game. The Wiz took a 1-0 lead on just the ninth pitch of the game, as No. 2 hitter Jang Jin-hyuk smoked

Excitable Lions outfielder continues postseason breakout with big day
Nov 7, 2026

Excitable Lions outfielder continues postseason breakout with big day

DAEGU — Before the Korean baseball postseason started last month, Samsung Lions outfielder Park Seung-kyu told himself he would try to go crazy -- not as in going insane, but having a breakout campaign that could help the club reach the pinnacle. The 26-year-old has mostly delivered, especially so far in the Korean Series. After batting 3-for-4 with three RBIs in a 10-5 win over the KT Wiz in Game 4 on Saturday, Park is batting .500/.538/.833 for the series. Despite not starting earlier games, Park is tied for the team lead with four runs scored and is one of two Lions to have homered, alongside Koo Ja-wook. "I am happy to be going crazy, in a good way," Park said with a smile afterward. Park knocked in a run that made it a 7-1 game for the Lions in the third inning. And after the Wiz scored three times in the top fifth to make things more interesting, Park had the Lions' response with a two-run double in the bottom fifth that pushed the lead to 9-4. Manager Park Jin-man said the player is helping the team in other ways, too. The skipper said Park Seung-kyu gets the entire dugout fired

Lions manager not letting guard down despite taking commanding Korean Series lead
Nov 7, 2026

Lions manager not letting guard down despite taking commanding Korean Series lead

DAEGU — Even as the Samsung Lions built a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Korean Series on Saturday, manager Park Jin-man said this was no time to relax. The Lions defeated the KT Wiz 10-5 in Game 4 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Saturday. They will clinch their first championship since 2014 with a victory in Sunday's Game 5, also in Daegu. The Lions have won three straight games, and looked quite convincing in taking the past two games at home. Other than rallying for three runs in the fifth inning Saturday, the Wiz have appeared mostly lifeless in the past two contests. But Park insisted the job is not done until the fourth win is in the books. "We are getting close but in the postseason, one game can be a turning point and then you never know what can happen after that," Park said. "We are not going to let our guard down. We will do our best to finish the series tomorrow." To that end, Park said he will take an all-hands-on-deck approach with his bullpen usage, though he fell short of announcing his starting pitchers Chris Paddack, who threw

NBA: LeBron James has rough return to Cleveland in 76ers loss
Nov 7, 2026

NBA: LeBron James has rough return to Cleveland in 76ers loss

CLEVELAND — LeBron James got a warm reception from Northeast Ohio fans when he was the last of the Philadelphia 76ers’ starters introduced before Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was the only highlight for James, who scored in single digits for only the 10th time in 1,630 NBA regular-season games. James was

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