As the KBO season heads into the final week of July, the race at the top of the standings has taken a dramatic turn.
The LG Twins, the defending Korean Series champions who spent most of the season atop the standings, have gone into a tailspin. The Twins are 4-8 in July and have lost six consecutive games and seven of their last eight. During their six-game losing streak, they have been outscored 35-17 as a pitching staff that had been one of the league’s strengths has struggled.
Those issues were on full display after the KBO All-Star break against the KT Wiz. The Wiz swept the four-game series to leapfrog the Twins into second place behind the Samsung Lions.
In a series dominated by KT’s pitching staff, Young-pyo Ko capped the sweep with six scoreless innings in the finale, leading the Wiz to a 4-1 victory. The win completed the four-game sweep and moved KT ahead of LG in the standings.
While the Twins have stumbled, the Wiz have caught fire. KT is 8-3-1 in July and unbeaten in its last eight games at 7-0-1, including the four-game sweep of LG.
A major reason for the turnaround has been the pitching staff. Logan Allen, who signed with the club last month, has made an immediate impact. The left-hander owns a 3.33 ERA with 20 strikeouts in five starts. In his most recent outing against the Twins, he allowed one run over five innings while striking out seven.
Twins sign Carlos Carrasco
The Twins responded to their recent struggles by making a surprising roster move, releasing Puerto Rican reliever Yacksel Ríos despite his solid performance. Ríos posted a 3.63 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings. However, LG needed help in the starting rotation and chose to use its foreign player spot on a starter.
On Wednesday, the Twins signed veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco, one of the most accomplished former major league pitchers to join the KBO.
Carrasco made 343 career MLB appearances, including 286 starts. His best season came with Cleveland in 2017, when he went 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA, struck out 226 batters in 200 innings and finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Since 2025, Carrasco has spent time with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves organizations but has primarily pitched at Triple-A. In six starts for Triple-A Gwinnett this season, he posted a 2.55 ERA over 35 1/3 innings with 28 strikeouts.
Carrasco immediately strengthens an LG rotation looking to regain its footing in the race for first place and an automatic berth in the Korean Series.
Samsung adds Austin Voth
The first-place Samsung Lions also strengthened their rotation, signing former MLB right-hander Austin Voth as an injury replacement after Ariel Jurado was sidelined.
Voth made 210 major league appearances, including 39 starts, compiling a 4.84 ERA. He pitched for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays this season, allowing 12 runs over 10 innings with three strikeouts. After being acquired by the Texas Rangers, he made one Triple-A start before being granted his release.
Voth also has experience in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, where he posted a 3.96 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 125 innings for the Chiba Lotte Marines last season.
He will make his KBO debut Sunday against the Doosan Bears and is expected to play a key role in Samsung’s rotation following Jurado’s injury.
Meanwhile, Chris Paddack has already made an impact for the league leaders. In his KBO debut on Saturday, he allowed just one hit over six innings while striking out seven in a dominant performance against the Lotte Giants.
SSG signs Bligh Madris
The SSG Landers signed former major league outfielder Bligh Madris as an injury replacement for Guillermo Heredia.
Madris appeared in 72 MLB games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers from 2022-24, posting a .560 OPS with two home runs.
He enjoyed a breakout season at Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis Cardinals organization this year, batting .277/.389/.519 with 14 home runs, 52 RBIs and a .908 OPS, the highest mark of his professional career at any level.
After being granted his release, Madris joined the Landers and made his KBO debut Wednesday, going 1 for 4 with his first home run.
SSG ranks sixth in the KBO in both OPS and runs scored per game. Madris is expected to provide a boost to an offense trying to avoid falling into last place behind the Kiwoom Heroes.
Hanwha signs Bruce Zimmermann
The Hanwha Eagles also reinforced their rotation, signing left-hander Bruce Zimmermann.
The 31-year-old made 15 starts for Triple-A Memphis this season, posting a 3.78 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings. He also made one appearance for St. Louis on July 7, allowing three runs over five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Zimmermann replaces Wilkel González, who was released after posting a 4.92 ERA over 71 1/3 innings.
Hanwha ranks seventh in the KBO in ERA and eighth in runs allowed per game, but its offense has been among the league’s best. The Eagles hope Zimmermann can stabilize the rotation as they chase a postseason berth.
The 2025 Korean Series runner-up enters the week four games behind the fifth-place Doosan Bears for the final playoff spot.
Another foreign pitcher made their debut last week in Pedro Ávila. The former MLB arm went 6 innings and allowed just 3 hits with 8 strikeouts in a dominating performance against the KIA Tigers.
KBO standings
- Samsung Lions — 54-34-2
- KT Wiz — 51-35-2
- LG Twins — 52-38
- KIA Tigers — 49-41-2
- Doosan Bears — 47-42-3
- Hanwha Eagles — 41-44-3
- NC Dinos — 41-45-1
- Lotte Giants — 40-48-2
- SSG Landers — 33-56-3
- Kiwoom Heroes — 33-58-2
Photo: Bligh Madris of the Charros de Jalisco flips his bat after launching a two-run homer in the third inning of the Caribbean Series semifinal. (Photo courtesy of the CBPC)
