I threw 70 balls, but why did my phone go down? It was really hard to believe that the steel plate was right after we sprayed 158km

Jul 25, 2025

I threw 70 balls, but why did my phone go down? It was really hard to believe that the steel plate was right after we sprayed 158km
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. Hanwha players are regretful as they ended up with a draw after a bloody 11th inning. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/



The moment when everyone said, "No way~" Despite the draw, I managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Everyone was surprised by Hanwha Eagles Cody Ponce's earlier-than-expected steel plate. Ponce started in an away game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 24th. Ponce, who is currently winning 12 consecutive games (unbeatable), was trying to win 13 games this season. He is definitely the overwhelming MVP candidate, ranking first in three categories including multiple wins, minimum ERA and strikeouts.

On this day, he also pitched well against Doosan's recently improved lineup. In the bottom of the first inning, he allowed Jung Soo-bin to hit and steal, allowing him to advance to the scoring position, but easily caught the opponent's central batters in a fast count. After that, not a single batter was able to step on first base until the fourth inning.




I threw 70 balls, but why did my phone go down? It was really hard to believe that the steel plate was right after we sprayed 158km
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Hanwha starter Ponce roars after hitting Doosan's Yang Seok-hwan to the third base. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/
Ponce, who continued his scoreless pitching, allowed a hit to leadoff hitter Kim Jae-hwan in the bottom of the fifth inning. After that, Park Joon-soon's sacrifice bunt and Oh Myung-jin's infield grounder made it to third base with two outs. However, there was no loss again this time. Yang Seok-hwan grounded out to third base.

The sixth inning was perfect, too. Kim Daehan~ Jung Subin~Doosan's batters, led by Lee Yoo-chan, failed to reach Ponce's maximum speed of 158 kilometers. He struck out three batters in a row to end the inning. Even Ponce's fastball speed at the end of the sixth inning against the last batter Lee Yoo-chan was 158km. It's an incredible force.

Ponce pitched just 70 pitches until the sixth inning. He struck out seven with just two hits, and there were no walks and no walks. He had a pace that allowed him to pitch more than eight innings.




At the bottom of the seventh inning, right after Hanwha's batters finally broke the 0-0 balance in the top of the seventh inning and took a 1-0 lead. However, the pitcher coming to the mound was Park Sang-won, not Ponce. The number of pitches was only 70 pitches, and the game was tight at 1-0, and Ponce's condition looked so good, so I couldn't help but wonder.

I threw 70 balls, but why did my phone go down? It was really hard to believe that the steel plate was right after we sprayed 158km
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Hanwha starter Ponce carefully picks the ball just before pitching. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/
The sudden steel plate led to a commotion. Ponce had anxiety about medical issues right after entering the KBO League this season. This is because he was considered a quality pitcher even when he played in the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) in the 2022-2024 season, but was pointed out every year that he was less durable. Ponce never played full-time, regular innings in his three seasons in the NPB. The number of games played was also within 10-15 games.

It is no exaggeration to say that Ponce is the fundamental driving force behind Hanwha's single lead now, and if he is suddenly injured in the second half of the season, Hanwha will have no choice but to fall on its feet. Fans were also paying keen attention to Ponce's injury.




I threw 70 balls, but why did my phone go down? It was really hard to believe that the steel plate was right after we sprayed 158km
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. Hanwha players are regretful as they ended up with a draw after a bloody 11th inning. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/
Fortunately, however, there seems to be no major abnormalities in Ponce's physical condition. An official from the Hanwha team said after the withdrawal on the same day "He was replaced due to symptoms of muscle clumping in his right shoulder. There is no impact on the next game.

This means that the mound ended earlier than expected, and if you take a few days off and take a routine, there will be no problem with next week's mound. Even after being withdrawn on the day, Ponce seemed to have no problem as he watched the game going to the 11th inning with his teammates in the dugout and even greeted his fans. Although the match ended in a 4-4 draw after extra-time bloodshed, Ponce's concerns soon turned to relief.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.