The
SSG Landers
, known as the
SK Wyverns
from 2000 to 2020, is a professional
baseball
team in
South Korea
. It was established in 2000. The team is based in
Incheon
and plays home games at
Incheon SSG Landers Field
. The
mascot
of this team was a
wyvern
, a king of
dragons
, while it was known as the SK Wyverns. Now, the mascot of this team is a
dog
.
In the 2000 season, the
Ssangbangwool Raiders
, a team that had previously represented the
North Jeolla
region since 1991, was dissolved because of the bankruptcy of the Ssangbangwool Group. Then the KBO appointed SK company as a supporter of the new team, and SK determined its team name as SK Wyverns. So the Raiders and the Wyverns has no historical links although the Wyverns consisted of many players from the Raiders.
The
Hyundai Unicorns
, a team that had previously represented Incheon, went to
Suwon
, and the SK Wyverns became new Incheon team. It advanced the first Korean Series in 2003, where somewhat ironically, it was defeated by the Hyundai Unicorns in seven games.
In 2007, under the new director
Kim Sung-keun
, 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 to the
Korean Series
again in 2008, once again facing their main rivals,
Doosan Bears
. In a repeat of 2007, SK defeated Doosan and became the Korean Series Champions again. Choi Jeong, 21 year old 3rd baseman, was the series MVP.
In 2009, in spite of many injured players, SK advanced the Korean Series again, but they were defeated by the
KIA Tigers
in 7 games. However, in 2010, it regained the champion title by defeating
Samsung Lions
. In the next two years, SK lost to Samsung in the Korean Series.