The Doosan Bears defeated the Samsung Lions 7-2 to open the Korean Series here on Thursday, taking a major first step toward the Korea Baseball Organization championship.

Visiting Daegu Stadium, the Bears pounded the Lions' pitching for 12 hits, including two solo home runs, in the resounding victory to start the best-of-seven showdown.

Shortstop Son Si-heon, making his first postseason start this year, went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to pace the Bears' offense.

The second game will be back at Daegu Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Bears are trying to win their first championship since 2001, while the Lions are chasing their third consecutive title.

The Lions had the bye to the Korean Series after winning the pennant. This was their first game since their final regular season game on Oct. 3.

The Bears finished fourth in the regular season and had to get past the Nexen Heroes and then the LG Twins in the two earlier playoff rounds to reach the Korean Series. They had played nine games in a 13-day span before resting from Monday to Wednesday. No fourth-place club has won the Korean Series.

In the past 30 Korean Series, the winner of the first game ended up winning the championship 24 times. In 1982, the Bears and the Lions ended the first game in a tie.

(Yonhap News)