ERA 1 point broken What happened to the 156km monster...I never thought I'd be beaten by a 100% hitter
Jun 08, 2025
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Ponce started the game against the KIA Tigers in the '2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League' held at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 8th and retired without a win or loss as he had only five hits (two homers) with three strikeouts and five runs in five innings. Five runs is Ponce's record for most runs this season. The season ERA rose from 1.80 to 2.20. He broke up with the league's only one-point ERA title, but maintained the top spot in the category.
Hanwha lost the game 6-7 after a close game that lasted until the 10th inning. With one out and runners on the first and second bases, third baseman Noh Si-hwan threw Ko Jong-wook's grounder to second base to deal with a double play, but it was recorded as a walk-off error as it became a bad pitch. The second-place Hanwha is again 1.5 games apart from the first-place LG Twins.
Ponce's restraint did not differ much from usual, but his control was shaken. In particular, the fastball (43) did not work well on the day. He recorded a maximum speed of 156km and an average speed of 153km, and KIA batters targeted Ponce's fastball quite well. He mixed curves (24), sliders (16), changeups (17), and two-seam fastballs (5), but the breaking balls were not as powerful as usual.
There was a good chance that Ponce would become the first 10-win pitcher of the year. KIA starter Yang Hyun-jong stepped down early in the second ⅓ of 49 innings with eight hits, one out, two strikeouts, and five runs (four earned runs).
However, Ponce was hit by Oh Sun-woo in the bottom of the first inning with a 1-0 lead. Leading hitter Yoon Do-hyun got on base with a hit to the right. After one out, he was overturned 1-2 after being hit by a superior two-run shot by Oh Sun-woo. In the ball count 2B1S, he threw a 154km/h two-seam fastball at the fourth pitch, and Oh Sun-woo hit it properly. According to Hawkeye, Oh Sun-woo's home run hit reached 176.13 kilometers per hour. Ponce's ball was so fast and hit well that it stretched out like a bullet.
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However, an unexpected ambush, Hwang Dae-in, appeared. KIA left fielder Kim Seok-hwan injured his right shoulder when he hit the fence while handling a fly ball in the defense process in the top of the third inning. After icing treatment, Kim Seok-hwan had to go to the hospital for examination. KIA moved Oh Sun-woo's defensive position to left field, who started as first baseman, replacing first baseman Hwang Dae-in ahead of the defense in the top of the fourth inning.
Hwang Dae-in was sluggish with a batting average of 0.179 before the game, so there was not much expectation that he would destroy Ponce, and as a result, Hwang Dae-in's input was the best choice. Ponce was chased 5-3 in his first showdown with Hwang Dae-in after one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. At the ball count of 0B1S, he threw a high fastball with a speed of 154km/h and got caught properly by Hwang Dae-in's bat.
Ponce also took the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning and tried to fill six innings as much as possible, but it was difficult to hold on to the mound anymore because he threw Choi Hyung-woo and Wisdom with pitches and walks, respectively. The number of pitches is already high. In the end, Hanwha pitching coach Yang Sang-moon took over Ponce's ball, and Park Sang-won took the mound in relief.
Park Sang-won failed to stop Ponce's leadoff man. Choi Won-joon, the first batter, got on base with a ground ball to shortstop, making it 5-5 after being hit by Hwang Dae-in with a timely two-run double in left-center. It was the moment when Ponce's run increased to five and the game returned to square one.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said after the game, `Hwang Dae-in showed the most impressive performance after returning to the first team. I look forward to showing a steady performance in the future."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
