Professional baseball player Cody Ponce (31) of the Hanwha Eagles thrilled fans with a performance at the All-Star Game.
On the 12th, Ponce participated in the '2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO All-Star Game' held at Hanwha Life Eagle Park, where he made his appearance as the starting pitcher for the Sharing All-Stars, recording a victory with 1 inning, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 1 earned run.
Ponce, who took the mound in the top of the first inning, wore a costume as 'Darth Vader,' a representative villain character from the Star Wars movie. He then threw the first pitch left-handed, wearing the jersey of Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha), whom he has always respected, as it was during Ryu's time with the Toronto Blue Jays. The leadoff hitter, Gu Ja-wook (Samsung), who is originally a left-handed batter, swung from the right side to match Ponce, who throws left-handed.
Ponce struck out both Gu Ja-wook and Víctor Reyes (Lotte), but then allowed Choi Jeong to reach second base with a hit by pitch and a wild pitch. He gave up an infield hit to Lewin Diaz (Samsung), and due to an error by the shortstop, Choi Jeong came home. However, Ponce remained composed and ended the inning by striking out Jeon Jun-woo (Lotte) with a three-pitch strikeout, preventing any further runs.
In the second inning, with the Sharing All-Stars leading 4-1, Ponce handed the mound over to Park Myeong-geun (LG) and concluded his appearance for the day. The Sharing All-Stars won 8-6 and Ponce was awarded the Best Pitcher award.
Ponce revealed that he purchased the costume for the Darth Vader outfit with his own money and explained the preparation process for the performance in a post-game interview, saying, "I've loved the Star Wars movie since I was young, especially Darth Vader. Although he is a villain, I liked him more because he repents and turns to the good side in the end. The costume took time to arrive as it was ordered from overseas. Since everyone was participating in their first All-Star Game, I felt that this much preparation was necessary. Thanks to that, I gained courage and was able to take the mound today dressed as Darth Vader."
After the Darth Vader performance, Ponce commented on wearing Ryu Hyun-jin's jersey, saying, "It was an honor just to be able to do such a performance. I really respect Ryu Hyun-jin. He has contributed so much over a long time here, and I prepared the performance with that respect in mind. I personally obtained the Ryu Hyun-jin jersey."
When asked what Ryu Hyun-jin means to him, Ponce responded, "Training together every day and spending time with him has provided me with a lot to learn. The times I spend with Ryu Hyun-jin are truly precious, day by day."
Ponce, who threw the first pitch left-handed, said, "I threw one or two warm-up pitches in the bullpen before heading out. I had a brief conversation with Gu Ja-wook. I told him that if he swings at the first pitch I throw left-handed, I would throw a fastball down the middle next. We made that transaction and started the game," he said with a laugh.
On this day, Ponce threw a fastball that reached a maximum speed of 156 km/h. Ponce explained, "Just because I want to throw easy doesn’t mean I can throw slowly. I tried to throw gently today, but it seems that it ended up that way while throwing."
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