"The reason why I'm good is that Choi Jae-hoon's stake is 100 percent."
Cody Ponce, a foreign pitcher of the Hanwha Eagles, started the game against the NC Dinos in the "2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League" held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 20th. He had one hit, 13 strikeouts and no run in seven innings, contributing to the team's 7-1 victory.
Ponce's powerful pitching continued from the beginning of the game. Except for the top of the seventh inning, which was Ponce's last inning, NC's batters were helpless, striking out one in every inning. If Kim Joo-won's right-handed hit did not come out after one out in the top of the fourth inning, he had a good pace enough to continue his perfect pitch.
Ponce was shaken only once in the top of the fourth inning. He got off to a clean start with three outs in the top of the first and third innings. Later, after getting a hit to the right by Kim Joo-won after one out in the top of the fourth inning, first baseman Chae Eun-seong interfered with the base running, putting him on second base with one out. The runner was placed in the scoring position, but Ponce calmly continued his pitching. He did not lose a point, blocking his follow-up hitters Son Ah-seop and Kim Hyung-joon with swing strikeouts.
After that, impressive pitches continued in the fifth and seventh innings. He did not send a single runner out and completely blocked NC's batting line. Ahead of the start of the eighth inning, he was replaced by relief pitcher Kim Seung-il and finished the game on the day.
After the game, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon praised Ponce's strong performance, saying, "Ponce gave up only one hit during seven innings and perfectly played the role of starting pitcher with 13 strikeouts. That allowed the fielders to concentrate more and work harder."
Ponce, who was selected as a veteran player, said, "At the end of the seventh inning, I still have the desire to win, so I wanted to throw another inning to prevent bullpen consumption. More than anything good, I was able to do well because Choi Jae-hoon and Lee Jae-won (who matched the battery together) had good leads from the two catchers."
Ponce, who joined the KBO League this season, has displayed strong pitching from the beginning. He is tied for the top in multiple wins with four wins (no loss) and 39 innings of ERA of 2.3156 strikeouts during the regular season. He seems to have already adapted to the new league and environment.
Regarding his stellar performance in the early days of the season, Ponce said, "I think I met the catcher well. We always come up with good game plans and share them," adding, "The reason I'm good is that Choi Jae-hoon has a 100 percent stake. He's my catcher, and I've always believed in him. If there is even one doubt, I will not give 100%," he said, expressing his gratitude to his teammate. 토토사이트
Hanwha's starting pitchers have been on the rise recently. Since the match against the Kiwoom Heroes in Daejeon on the 13th, it has won seven consecutive starts, continuing its winning streak. On the same day, the team recorded seven consecutive wins for the fourth time in 24 years (8772 days).
Ponce was aware of these records before the game, but rather than continuing them, he tried to focus on the game and maintain his pace as much as possible. "I think it's a great record," Ponce said. "But I didn't really care. Every game I took the mound, I tried to throw competitively. It's my job to contribute to my team's victory. That's what I paid more attention to."
Meanwhile, Hanwha continues to maintain its second place in the league by winning seven consecutive games.