SK Wyverns

Infobox baseball team
Name=SK Wyverns
Location=Incheon
Logo=
League=KBO
Founded=by|2000
Stadium=Munhak Baseball Stadium
LeagueChamps= 2 (2007) (2008)
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SK Wyverns (ko-hhrm|hangul=에스케이 와이번스) is a Korean professional baseball team founded in 2000. It is based in Incheon. They play their home games at Munhak Baseball Stadium.

Their current manager is Kim Seong-geun (김성근, 金星根). Their bench coach is former Triple Crown winner and home run champ Man Soo Lee (이만수).

History

The first team to represent Incheon was founded in the inaugural KBO season in 1982, and were known as the Sammi Superstars. The team was infamously unsuccessful, winning just 15 games out of 80 in their first season. They changed ownership in 1985 and were known as the Cheongbo Pintos. This new incarnation lasted only two seasons and became the Taepyeongyang Dolphins in 1988. In 1995, the powerful conglomerate, Hyundai, bought the outfit and re-named them the Hyundai Unicorns. With more potent financial backing, they finally brought the first Korean Series to Incheon in 1998.

In the 2000 season, the Ssangbangwool Raiders, a team that had previously represented the Jeollabuk-do region, was dissolved because of the bankruptcy of the Ssangbangwool Group, the teams owner, and its franchise was fortified by KBO. Then the KBO awarded a new franchise to the SK conglomerate. The name of the new franchise was determines to be the SK Wyverns. So officially the Raiders and the Wyverns has no historical links although the former Raiders players mostly consisted of the new team. Therefore, no historical records of the Raiders were succeeded to the Wyverns.

The Unicorns moved out of Incheon to go to Suwon, and the SK Wyverns filled the void left in Incheon. Their first Korean Series appearance came in 2003, where somewhat ironically, they were defeated by the Hyundai Unicorns in seven games.

In 2007, SK defeated the Doosan Bears in six games to win the 2007 Korean Series - the first time the franchise had won the Korean Series - after finishing the league in first place. They became the first team in Korean Series history to win after losing the first two games. Designated Hitter Kim Jae-hyun was the series MVP.

SK went on to compete in the Konami Cup, a short competition between the champions of the Korean Baseball League, the Japanese Baseball League, the Taiwanese Baseball League, and the China All-Stars.

On November 8, 2007, SK Wyverns managed to defeat the Chunichi Dragons (6-3), giving them their first ever loss in Konami Cup history. On November 9, 2007, they soundly defeated the China All-Stars (13-0), causing the game to be called in the 7th inning, due to the 'Mercy Rule'. On November 10, 2007, they repeated their performance, defeating the Toongi Lions of Taiwan (13-1) in 7 innings.

The final game, on November 11, 2007, was a rematch of the first game, between Chunichi Dragons and SK Wyverns. In an extremely close game, Chunichi managed to win the game, 6-5.

Current lineup

eason by season records

External links

* [http://www.sksports.net/WyvernsMain.asp/ SK Wyverns] ko icon