It was not without reason that Ryu Hyun-jin was overlooked for the opening game of Hanwha's season, where he was not assigned as the starting pitcher at the new stadium. Hanwha Eagles' new foreign pitcher KODI Ponce (31) has already begun receiving evaluations of being 'historic.'
Ponce made his start in the home opener against KIA on the 28th at the grand opening of the Daejeon new stadium, pitching 7 innings with 7 hits allowed (1 home run), 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. Thanks to Ponce holding on by throwing 105 pitches through the 7th inning, Hanwha also exploded for 5 runs in a big inning in the 7th, finishing the first game at the new stadium with a thrilling comeback victory of 7-2.
Ponce became a topic of conversation for his leadership in raising the team's morale, as he smiled and left the mound after finishing the inning despite allowing his first earned run on a sacrifice fly after a slightly disappointing catch by catcher Choi Jae-hoon in the 4th. After the 5th inning, Ponce gathered the players in front of the dugout and encouraged them, saying, 'I believe in you. If we can score just 1 point, we can turn this around, so let's keep fighting.'
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon viewed Ponce's leadership positively, which is not often seen from new foreign pitchers joining the team this year. Manager Kim praised Ponce's demeanor, saying, 'I think he did well. He has an energetic style, and the players responded well to it. Perhaps that was a turning point for the comeback,' and added, 'As a manager, I'm grateful when a starter pitches into the 7th inning. Ponce kept it to 2 runs, giving us a chance.'
While the gathering to awaken the players became a topic of conversation, Ponce's pitching itself was also quite impressive. In a night game during the late spring chill, he consistently threw fastballs with a top speed of 156 km/h and an average of 153 km/h. His last pitch, which struck out Byeon Woo-hyeok in the 7th inning with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 3rd, was clocked at 154 km/h on the speed gun. From his height of 198 cm, his short and compact form made his pitches even more effective.
Although he is a fastball pitcher, he allowed only 1 walk and showed stable control. There were not many pitches that strayed far from the zone. Additionally, he had 2 plus-level breaking balls capable of retiring batters. Against left-handed batters, he threw a changeup that dropped vertically like a forkball, and against right-handed batters, a big-breaking curveball was effective. Of the 8 strikeouts that day, 6 came from the changeup and curveball, with 3 each being decisive pitches.
KIA's manager Lee Beom-ho was also amazed by Ponce's pitching. Before the game on the 29th, Lee said of Ponce, 'He was incredibly good. I also talked with commentator Park Yong-taek, and I think he might be the best player who has come to Korea so far,' admiring, 'He throws his breaking pitches well. His changeup almost falls to the ground in the strike zone. Seeing him pitch perfectly, I wonder if he practiced many such pitches in Japan. He really pitches well.'
Ponce, who experienced 2 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020 to 2021, spent 3 years in Japanese professional baseball starting in 2022. He threw a no-hitter in his first year with the Nippon Ham Fighters, but faced challenges in 2023 due to a thigh injury, and even after transferring to the Rakuten Golden Eagles last year, he struggled to bounce back.
However, after failing to re-sign with Rakuten, at least 4 teams in the KBO League showed interest. He had been on the top list of potential signings by KBO League teams for several years, and Hanwha acquired him with an investment of $1 million for a new foreign player. From the preseason, he showcased his power over 2 games with 9 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits, 4 walks, 1 hit batter, and 10 strikeouts without allowing any runs, earning the nod as the starter for the opening game instead of Ryu Hyun-jin. In the match against KT on the 22nd, he pitched 5 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts with 2 earned runs, but was unable to secure a win or loss. After achieving his first victory at the Daejeon new stadium, he began to receive evaluations of being 'historic' in just 2 games. The expectations for Hanwha this season are rising even higher.
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