On the days that 'ace' Cody Ponce pitches, the Hanwha Eagles are confident of victory. In the 13 games Ponce has started, Hanwha has a record of 11 wins and 2 losses, with an overwhelming winning percentage of (.846). Personally, Ponce is on a 13-game undefeated streak.
Hanwha won 10-1 against the KT Wiz in a home game held at Hanwha Life Park in Daejeon on the 3rd.
Starting pitcher Ponce restricted the KT lineup, pitching 6 innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 without allowing a run. He allowed 2 hits in the 3rd inning, but the remaining 5 innings were a no-hitter, with no significant threats. Taking advantage of 5 opponent errors, Hanwha's lineup supported him with 10 runs, leading to another victory for Ponce.
He threw more off-speed pitches than his fastball, which had a maximum speed of 155 km/h and an average of 152 km/h (35 pitches). He used curves, sliders (more than 19 pitches), changeups (18 pitches), and a sinker (1 pitch) to disrupt the timing of KT hitters. He finished the game with 91 pitches while maintaining a comfortable 9-run lead.
With his 9th win of the season, Ponce climbed to the top of the win leaderboard, surpassing Im Chan-kyu (LG) and Park Se-woong (Lotte), who both have 8 wins. Without losing in 13 games, Ponce has lowered his earned run average from 1.94 to 1.80 and increased his strikeouts to 112. He leads in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts.
With Ponce's strong performance, the Hanwha lineup also exploded for double-digit runs. Right from the start of the 1st inning, KT's defense committed 3 errors, allowing Hanwha to score the first run without a hit. They scored 3-4 runs in the 4th and 5th innings each, securing an early lead. Lee Jin-young hit his 5th home run of the season, while Ha Ju-suk contributed with 2 hits and 2 RBIs, including a double.
Hanwha's season record improved to 35 wins and 24 losses, firmly securing second place with a winning percentage of .593. They maintained a gap of 1.5 games with first-place LG (36 wins, 22 losses, 1 tie, winning percentage .621), who won 15-0 against NC that day, continuing the battle for the top spot.
After the game, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said, “Ponce perfectly fulfilled his role as a starting pitcher for 6 innings. The batters focused on each opportunity and scored runs, allowing us to maintain the lead and secure the victory.”
Hanwha will start Ryan Weiss as the starting pitcher against KT on the 4th, aiming for another win. KT will have left-hander Oh Won-seok on the mound.
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