As the KBO season moves into June, the contenders continue to separate themselves from the bottom half of the standings. One of the teams struggling most is the SSG Landers, who have been in a complete free fall for weeks.
After their latest loss, a 12-6 defeat to the Kiwoom Heroes, the Landers’ losing streak reached 13 games, the longest in the franchise’s 27-year history. The skid has seen SSG fall from a top-four position all the way to eighth place, just a half-game ahead of the ninth-place Lotte Giants. A league-worst 5.50 ERA from the starting rotation, nearly a full run higher than the second-worst club, has been a major factor during the historic collapse.
According to a report from MHS Sports, the LG Twins are expected to sign Puerto Rican reliever Yacksel Ríos. Ríos has appeared in 93 career MLB games, posting a 6.21 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 100 innings. He briefly appeared with the Chicago Cubs this season, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
While Ríos has logged just 3 1/2 innings in the major leagues over the past four seasons, he has remained active at Triple-A, making 62 appearances during that span. This season, he posted a 4.24 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 17 innings for Triple-A Iowa before being released. He now appears set to take his talents to Asia for the first time and join the defending KBO champions. Ríos is expected to begin in a setup role before potentially moving into the closer’s role later in the season.
To make room for Ríos, the Twins released former MLB pitcher Yonny Chirinos, one of the club’s top starters in 2025. After posting a 3.31 ERA across 177 innings last season, Chirinos struggled to a 6.68 ERA in 33 2/3 innings this year and nearly matched his 2025 home run total in just eight starts.
The defending champion Twins and Samsung Lions continue to battle for first place atop the standings. LG reclaimed the top spot after going 6-1 over the past week, thanks in large part to MVP frontrunner Austin Dean.
Dean has homered in three consecutive games and is tied with Do-yeong Kim for the KBO lead with 14 home runs. He is the only qualified hitter in the league with an OPS above 1.000, entering the week at 1.033, and the only player slugging above .600. Dean is beginning to separate himself in the MVP race and is on pace for the best season by a foreign hitter since Mel Rojas Jr. in 2020. He homered against the KT Wiz, marking his 100th career KBO home.
In a matchup against fellow contender KT Wiz, the Twins jumped out to a 7-0 lead and cruised to a 10-1 victory to remain in first place. With the leading MVP candidate anchoring the offense and one of the KBO’s top pitching staffs, LG remains the team to beat in Korean baseball.
Meanwhile, Kiwoom snapped an eight-game losing streak behind Keston Hiura, who hit his first KBO home run in the victory over SSG. The former MLB infielder owns a .940 OPS through his first three games and has already provided a boost to the Heroes’ offense.
As one of the most talented hitters in the league, Hiura has the potential to make a significant impact over the final four months of the season. If the Heroes hope to avoid another last-place finish, they will need him to emerge as one of the KBO’s most productive hitters.
Standings
LG Twins: 34-20
Samsung Lions: 32-20-1
KT Wiz: 32-21-1
KIA Tigers: 29-25-1
Hanwha Eagles: 27-26
Doosan Bears: 26-28-1
NC Dinos: 22-30-1
SSG Landers: 22-31-1
Lotte Giants: 21-31-1
Kiwoom Heroes: 21-34-1
Photo: Austin Dean delivers 100th career home run in KBO. (Photo courtesy of LG Twins)
