It wasn't lip service. The term "monster pitcher" is perfect. It is also an important reason why the Hanwha Eagles will win seven consecutive games.먹튀검증
Hanwha won 7-1 against NC in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 20th and won seven consecutive games.
The hero of the game was starting pitcher Cody Ponce (31). Ponce struck out 13 during seven innings, allowing one hit and no run. His pitches were so clean that none of them had any outs.
Ponce displayed no mercy on his pitches. He displayed sharp breaking balls such as changeup, slider and curveball by banking on his fastballs up to 157 kilometers per hour, neutralizing the rival team's batters.
Ponce displayed perfect pitching without sending out a single runner until the third inning. Ponce, who had a hit to the right by Kim Joo-won after one out in the top of the fourth inning, faced a crisis with one out and runners on second base as he was even declared to interfere with base running. However, Ponce threw a fastball of 152 km/h to secure strikeout, and managed to lead Kim Hyung-joon to swing and miss with a fastball of 156 km/h to end the inning neatly.
Having struck out Oh Young-soo, Park Hang-gyeol and Han Jae-hwan in the fifth inning, Ponce continued his powerful pitching by striking out Park Si-won and Park Min-woo in succession in the top of the sixth inning. Ponce displayed outstanding pitching performance, as he pitched more than 100 times in the seventh inning despite striking out a lot. On the day, Ponce pitched 101 pitches.
Ponce has pitched 39 innings in six games this season, recording four wins and no losses with an ERA of 2.31. What is most surprising is his remarkable strikeout ability. Having acquired 56 strikeouts in 39 innings, Ponce is currently atop in the strikeout category. He is leading Park Se-woong (Lotte) and Kenny Rosenberg (Kium), who are tied for second by as many as 14 innings.
Despite the early days of the season, many say he is the best foreign pitcher ever. Coach Lee Bum-ho, who led Kia to its combined victory last year, even said, "He has a great phone power. I think he is the best foreign pitcher who has ever been to Korea."
It was not just lip service. "He is good at throwing breaking balls. He almost drops his changeups from the strike zone to the floor," Lee said. Seeing him throw the changeup perfectly made me think, "I practiced a lot in Japan," he said, expressing his admiration.
Ponce is drawing attention not only for his outstanding performance but also for his leadership in leading teammates. One episode in which Ponce brought the fielders together during the match against KIA in Daejeon on April 28 and said, "I trust you guys. If we score just one point, it will be okay. Let's cheer up." As the Hanwha Eagles escaped from a four-game losing streak after this match, Ponce's "group" was definitely meaningful.
Currently, Hanwha has secured seven consecutive wins and is ranking second alone. This is surprising because the team shares the incredible record of seven consecutive wins in starting pitchers. It is the first time in 24 years that Hanwha has secured seven consecutive wins in starting pitchers since 2001. Ponce is also a significant factor. Among Hanwha's seven consecutive wins in starting pitchers, Ponce added two more wins. Until now, Hanwha had no ace like this.