Ko Woo-seok allows HR, three doubles in rough outing for Minnesota Twins

Ko Woo-seok had a rough night in Cleveland.

Minnesota was already down 3-10 when he took the mound in the 7th inning on July 21 at Progressive Field. The right-hander allowed 4 hits and 3 runs in 1 inning. Manager Derek Shelton had called him in after starter Joe Ryan gave up 8 runs in 4 innings.

It went bad fast. Patrick Bailey—the same batter who homered off Ko in his MLB debut—took his second pitch to center-left for a solo shot, Bailey's 4th of the season. Ko then gave up back-to-back doubles to Petty Halpin and Kyle Manzardo, both clearing the right fielder. Chase Delotto drove a double off the center-right wall to score two more. Ko struck out Travis Bazana and got Rhys Hoskins on a fly ball to center to close the inning. By the time Catcher Alex Jackson took the mound in the 8th, Minnesota trailed 4-13.

The outing left Ko with a 9.00 ERA on the season—4 innings pitched, 4 runs allowed, 1 hold.

The day before, against the Chicago Cubs on July 20, he looked sharper: 23 pitches, 1 inning, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs.

Ko's path to Minnesota took years. He came to the U.S. ahead of the 2024 season, cycling through the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins without reaching the majors. He continued with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to Minnesota on July 6, 2026. A contract clause placed him on the MLB roster on July 8, and he made his big-league debut on July 10 against Cleveland.

July 12 brought a genuine milestone: a hold against the LA Angels made him the first Korean player to record a hold in MLB in 2,600 days, since Oh Seung-hwan. That hold is currently the lone bright spot on his 2026 ledger.

The July 21 line—home run, double, double, double—raises roster questions fast.