Why Ponce cried as a father? Mom in the sky, I'm on TV now.
May 17, 2025
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Hanwha Eagles Cody Ponce set a new KBO record. Ponce took the mound as the starting pitcher in Game 1 of the doubleheader against SSG Landers at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 17th and became the winning pitcher with two hits, 18 strikeouts, and one walk in eight innings. The 18 strikeouts are a new record based on nine innings and a tie for the most strikeouts in a game. On May 11, 2010, Ryu Hyun-jin struck out 17 as he pitched one run and completely pitched nine innings against the Cheongju LG Twins, which was the highest record, and Ponce threw fewer and struck out more than Ryu as he struck out 18 in eight innings. This is the highest strikeout tie for a pitcher in a game throughout KBO history. In 1991, Haitai Sun Dong-yeol pitched 13 innings alone in the match against Mudeung Binggrae on June 19, and Ponce set a tie record with Sun Dong-yeol. Ponce, Hanwha's ambitious work this season, is performing very well. 8 wins and no losses in 10 games. Winning the last seven games in a row. It's an overwhelming performance.
Ponce, who said he wanted to break Ryu Hyun-jin's strikeout record, broke the record right at the beginning of the season. Ponce, who met with reporters after the game, smiled brightly, saying, `It's impressive, but I'm very proud and proud to have recorded Ryu Hyun-jin's milestone in the same team mate and in the same Hanwha home game.'
Ryu Hyun-jin conveyed his true feelings to Ponce, who broke his record. Ponce said, `Honestly, I know Ryu Hyun-jin has set a lot of records, but I don't know exactly how many strikeouts he had. Still, I thought I would be close to the seventh inning, so I went up."
Ponce said "Pitching coach Yang Sang-moon also knew what I meant today. He didn't tell me to stop throwing. In the eighth inning, he said, "'I came to see your face once.'" After about the sixth inning, he was conscious little by little. (No hit, no run) I've had this kind of experience in my career a few times, and it's not an easy record when it's in the eighth or ninth innings, so I didn't feel much pressure."
After striking out for the 17th time, Ponce turned back on the mound and wiped away tears. It's rare to see a pitcher shedding tears during a game, even on the mound. I asked him what he felt at the time.
Ponce recalled "It reminded me a lot of my mother, who died in 2017. If you had seen this in the audience, you would have been very proud, but I remembered my mother who was watching that moment from the sky. He seemed to be immersed in emotion again.
When asked what she wanted to say to her mother, she said, "I love you, Mom. And I want to say that I can watch it because it's on TV," he said with a smile. Ponce said, `When I was in the minor leagues, I couldn't broadcast on TV, so the jokes I used to make while I was alive, 'Hurry up and be famous enough to be on TV. That's how I can't watch you on TV"I remembered my late mother.
After the game, Ponce hugged his wife strongly and thanked each other. Ponce's wife, who is currently pregnant, is due to give birth in October this year.
Ponce said "I'm going to be a father soon. A daughter will be born, but having a daughter is a great motivation for me. It gives me a great sense of responsibility. I think the baby is driving me all the luck this year."
When asked if she will give birth in Korea in October, Ponce said, `I think I will give birth in Korea if I go to the playoffs. It could be a playoff baby," he said with a smile.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
