One of the reasons the Hanwha Eagles must win this year is the foreign pitchers. It's hard to say when we'll see such talented foreign pitchers like Condi Ponce (31) and Ryan Weiss (29) again.
On the 7th, when Hanwha secured the first half championship for the first time in 33 years against Kiwoom, there was another significant record. Both Weiss, who earned his 10th victory of the season, and Ponce finished the first half with double-digit wins.
It's the first time in Hanwha's history that two foreign pitchers have achieved over 10 wins before the All-Star break, and it marks the third occurrence in league history. After Doosan's Dustin Nippert (12 wins) and Michael Bowden (10 wins) in 2016, and Doosan's Seth Frankoff (13 wins) and Josh Lindblum (11 wins) in 2018, Ponce and Weiss have accomplished this.
Ace Ponce has pitched 115⅔ innings in 18 games, achieving 11 wins with an earned run average of 1.95 and striking out 161 batters, showing overwhelming performance with a WHIP of 0.86 and a batting average against of .183. He ranks first in wins, ERA, strikeouts, WHIP, and batting average against and second in innings, making him a strong MVP candidate.
Second starter Weiss is performing at a first-starter level on other teams. He has pitched 108⅓ innings in 18 games, recording 10 wins and 3 losses with an ERA of 3.07 and striking out 126 batters, along with a WHIP of 1.02 and a batting average against of .290. He ranks third in wins and WHIP, fourth in innings and batting average against, and 11th in earned run average.
A Hanwha official noted, "Both players are competing in good spirit while supporting each other. Weiss has learned by observing Ponce's routine in preparing for games and opponent analysis, and Ponce is aware of Weiss as a good teammate and competitor." Weiss himself acknowledged, "When Ponce pitches well, I feel motivated and want to pitch well too. There is a spirit of friendly competition."
In the first half, the two pitchers combined for 21 wins in 36 games, with an innings total of 224 and an ERA of 2.49, striking out 287 batters. Mathematically, they are on pace for approximately 35 wins, 384 innings, and 492 strikeouts.
In history, there have been only seven instances of foreign pitcher duos that combined for over 30 wins.
In 2002, KIA had Mark Kiefer (19 wins) and Daniel Rios (14 wins), in 2007 Doosan had Rios (22 wins) and Matt Lindle (12 wins), in 2014 Nexen had Andy Van Hekken (20 wins) and Henry Sosa (10 wins), in 2016 Doosan had Dustin Nippert (22 wins) and Michael Bowden (18 wins), in 2018 Doosan had Seth Frankoff (18 wins) and Josh Lindblum (15 wins), in 2020 NC had Drew Luchinski (19 wins) and Mike Wright (11 wins), and in 2022 LG had Casey Kelly (16 wins) and Adam Plutko (15 wins) that together recorded a total of 30 wins. If the Ponce and Weiss duo reaches a combined mathematical total of 35 wins, it will place them second behind the 40 wins recorded by Doosan's Nippert and Bowden in 2016.
In the era of managed baseball, surpassing the total of 425⅓ innings pitched by Doosan's Rios (233 innings) and Lindle (192⅓ innings) in 2006 will be difficult, but their earned run average is close to the best record. The best combined ERA record is 2.47, achieved by LG's Kelly (2.54) and Plutko (2.39) in 2022. The strikeout record is 347, set last year by Kiwoom's Emmanuel De Jesus (178 strikeouts) and Ariel Hurado (169 strikeouts), while the Ponce and Weiss duo is showing a historic pace, aiming to become the first to surpass 400 strikeouts and potentially reach 500.
When combining cumulative and ratio records, the best foreign one-two punch in history is Doosan's Rios and Lindle in 2007. They combined for 34 wins, pitched 399 innings, and had an impressive ERA of 2.50. That year, Rios dominated the league to the point of winning the MVP, but Doosan, despite having the best foreign one-two punch, fell to SK, finishing second in the regular season and losing in the Korean Series with 2 wins and 4 losses.
At that time, the head coach of Doosan was Kim Kyung-moon, who is currently leading Hanwha. Eighteen years ago, despite having the best foreign one-two punch, they narrowly missed the championship, but there is no team like SK this year. Rather, Hanwha has secured the first place in the first half early on and is poised for a solo run. Although Ponce could possibly pitch on the last day of the first half, for rest purposes, they have removed him from the first-team roster to give him a break and enter a management mode for the long haul.
Ponce has already caught the attention of Major League scouts. There is no guarantee he will remain with Hanwha next year. Even if he stays, replicating this year's overwhelming performance won't be easy. Weiss has room to grow, but it is uncertain whether he will have another opportunity to be part of such a talented foreign pitcher duo. For Hanwha, this year is truly the right time to win the championship.
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