“If we make it to the playoffs, I will give birth in Korea.”

Hanwha Eagles' 'all-time great' foreign pitcher Cody Ponce (31) has many reasons for his impressive performance, but the support of his family cannot be overlooked. His wife Emma, who lives with him in Korea, is pregnant with their first daughter, which has made Ponce's already bright smile even brighter.

On the 17th, Ponce took the mound as a starter in the first game of the doubleheader against the SSG Landers at Hanwha Life Baseball Park in Daejeon, leading Hanwha to a 1-0 victory with an impressive performance of 8 innings, allowing just 2 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 18 batters without allowing a run. With this victory, Ponce earned his 8th win of the season, further lowering his earned run average to 1.48 and increasing his strikeouts to 93. He is currently on pace for a pitcher triple crown in all three categories.

Most notably, the 18 strikeouts stood out. This tied the KBO League record for the most strikeouts in a single game, a record set by Hae Tae's Sun Dong-yeol on June 19, 1991, which had stood for 34 years. At that time, Sun pitched an incredible 13 innings in extra innings. The most strikeouts in a regular 9-inning game is 17, achieved by Hanwha's Ryu Hyun-jin on May 11, 2010, in a game against LG in Cheongju, but Ponce broke this record with 18 strikeouts in 8 innings.

In the 8th inning, Ponce struck out the first batter, Ryan McBroom, tying Ryu Hyun-jin's record of 17 strikeouts, which moved him emotionally. He wiped his tears with both hands while on the mound and sat down for a moment to gather himself.

After the game, Ponce said, “I was overcome with emotion thinking of my mother. Today, it felt like my mother was with me. I wish she could have seen it from the stands… I felt in my heart that she was watching,” expressing that he was moved thinking about his mother, who passed away from brain cancer in 2017.

After striking out the next batter, Choi Jun-woo, Ponce set a new record for the most strikeouts in a regular inning with 18. He allowed a single to Ahn Sang-hyun, breaking his no-hitter, and permitted another single to Jung Jun-jae, creating a first-and-third base crisis, but managed to finish 8 innings without allowing a run by getting Shin Bum-soo to fly out to left field. Ponce threw 113 pitches through 8 innings and did not take the mound in the 9th.

After bowing 90 degrees to greet the home fans who filled the 17,000-seat stadium, Ponce shared an emotional hug with his wife Emma after the game. They also took commemorative photos against the backdrop of the ballpark. The wife of another foreign pitcher, Ryan Weiss, Hailey Brook, took their photo. At that moment, Ponce struck a pose by touching his wife's belly, and there was a reason—Emma is pregnant with their first child, a daughter.

Ponce stated, “I couldn't have done any of this without my wife. She's pregnant with our daughter, and I am truly grateful for that. In that regard, I feel a greater sense of responsibility. It seems like my daughter is bringing me all my luck.”

The due date is in October. Since it will be fall by then, if Hanwha is still playing baseball, there is a high possibility of witnessing the blessing of new life in Korea. Ponce noted, “It’s not certain yet, but it seems my wife will give birth in Korea. If we make it to the postseason, it will be a ‘playoff baby,’” flashing his characteristic bright smile.

Following 8 consecutive wins and up to 12 wins, Hanwha is currently at 28 wins and 17 losses (winning percentage .622), sitting in 2nd place just one game behind 1st place LG (29 wins and 16 losses, winning percentage .644) and 3rd place Lotte (27 wins and 18 losses, 2 ties, winning percentage .600). The top three teams, LG, Hanwha, and Lotte, are maintaining winning percentages above .600, while the remaining 7 teams remain below .500. Excluding 10th place Kiwoom, the 6 teams ranked 4th to 9th are engaged in a heated battle just one game apart.

The gap between Lotte in 3rd place and the group tied for 4th has widened to 5 games, indicating that Hanwha seems to be in a good position for fall baseball. Although there are concerns over the inconsistency of the batting lineup, the 'starting pitching' led by Ponce is strong. It is not a team that can easily fall. If Hanwha continues this momentum, Ponce's daughter will witness the world for the first time in Korea.

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