Kia's best pitcher has disappeared...That's all the director can do

Jul 05, 2025

Kia's best pitcher has disappeared...That's all the director can do
The match between Hanwha and Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 4th, Ponce struck out Kim Gun-hee in the bottom of the 7th inning and cheered after finishing the inning. Gocheok = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2025.07.04/



Kia's best pitcher has disappeared...That's all the director can do
Hanwha starter Ponce is pitching hard in the match between Hanwha and Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 4th. Gocheok = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2025.07.04/
"I thought it was time to take a break."

The Hanwha Eagles excluded Cody Ponce from the first-team entry ahead of the game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 5th.

This season, Ponce has been 'Huge Pitcher'. He pitched 115 ⅔ innings in 18 games, overwhelming the league with 11 wins, no losses and a 1.95 ERA.




He started against Kiwoom on the 4th and pitched well with five hits, one walk, 11 strikeouts and one run in seven innings. Although the lineup did not break out and did not win its 12th win of the season, the unbeaten streak continued steadily.

He may play against the Daejeon KIA Tigers on the 10th due to the starting rotation, but he decided to give him a break early. In particular, Ponce ranked first in the Nanum All-Star starting pitcher category in the Best 12 voting for the All-Star Game. As he had to start the All-Star Game, he decided that it would be better to take a clear break.

Kia's best pitcher has disappeared...That's all the director can do
Hanwha won 2-1 at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 4th. Ponce and Kim Seo-hyun are sharing joy with the coaching staff. Gocheok = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2025.07.04/
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon pitched many innings in the first team. There is one more game left, but I thought it was time to take a break by now. "If it's not the right time, I have to throw it at the end, take a day off, and go to the All-Star Game the next day." There is no time to recover."




Coach Kim continued "Yesterday (4th) he threw hard like this. That's all the coach can do. "

Hwang Jun-seo is expected to leave the place without Ponce. Hwang has made five starts in eight games this season.

In the game against Lotte on the 19th of last month, his last start, he gave two runs in four innings.




Meanwhile, Hanwha will try to win its second consecutive game on the 5th with Ryu Hyun-jin as its starting pitcher. Hanwha made the starting lineup in the order of Lee Won-seok (left fielder), Luis Liberato (center fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Chae Eun-sung (first baseman), Lee Jin-young (right fielder), Ha Joo-seok (second baseman), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and Shim Woo-jun (striker).



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.