I'm in front of the milestone… Ponce's First Defeat Gift? I'm here to prove it Lotte's ultra-light speed work for Velazquez surprised Hanwha

Aug 10, 2025

I'm in front of the milestone… Ponce's First Defeat Gift? I'm here to prove it Lotte's ultra-light speed work for Velazquez surprised Hanwha
Lotte's new foreign pitcher Velazquez poses in his uniform while the game between SSG and Lotte, which was scheduled to be held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 9th, has been canceled due to rain. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.09/



I'm in front of the milestone… Ponce's First Defeat Gift? I'm here to prove it Lotte's ultra-light speed work for Velazquez surprised Hanwha
Lotte's new foreign pitcher Velazquez is talking about a game between SSG and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 8th. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.08/
"I'm here to win." I'm here to prove it."

This is the voice of Vince Velazquez (33) wearing a Lotte Giants uniform.

It was recruited with not much time left before the deadline for registering foreign players. Instead, Lotte's work is being done at ultra-light speed.




Velazquez entered Korea on the 8th. Despite the fatigue of jet lag, he watched the game until the end and checked his condition by making his first catch against the main catcher Yoo Kang-nam on the 9th. It was a drizzle of tracking, but Velazquez's expression was bright.

On the same day, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, `I will give Velazquez the starting pitcher against the Hanwha Eagles on the 12th.' A Lotte team official also reaffirmed that the visa processing will be completed within the 11th. This means that he will finish his visa work three days after entering the country and immediately select him as the first starter without taking the mound at Futures.

As a result, a big match was made between Velazquez and Cody Ponce on the 12th and Eric Gamboa and Ryan Weiss on the 13th. For Hanwha, which has recently slipped to second place, an unexpected super-large variable has emerged.




I'm in front of the milestone… Ponce's First Defeat Gift? I'm here to prove it Lotte's ultra-light speed work for Velazquez surprised Hanwha
The match between the Hanwha Eagles and the Samsung Lions at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 30th. Hanwha starter Ponce roared after pitching six scoreless innings. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.30/
In particular, Ponce, who is likely to be the best pitcher this year, is close to a bolt out of the blue. Ponce has played 138 ⅔ innings in 22 games this season, showing a fantastic record of 14 wins and no losses with a 1.69 ERA. In particular, he coincidentally met Velazquez on the path of challenging a new record, tying the opening 14 consecutive wins, a KBO record.

It is a pitcher once cherished by the Philadelphia Phillies. He started 116 games in Philadelphia between 2016 and 2021, and played many starts as the second in the team (No. 1 Aaron Nola). He is a veteran who pitched 763 ⅔ innings in the big league alone and recorded 38 wins (51 losses).

During his heyday, he received favorable reviews that his fastballs were as good as those of top Cy Young pitchers such as Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers), Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees), and Max Scherzer (Toronto Blue Jays). However, he took a year off after elbow surgery in 2023, and this year, he will only stay in Triple-A and challenge the Korean stage.




I'm in front of the milestone… Ponce's First Defeat Gift? I'm here to prove it Lotte's ultra-light speed work for Velazquez surprised Hanwha
Lotte's new foreign pitcher Velazquez is playing catch while the game between SSG and Lotte, which was scheduled to be held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 9th, has been canceled due to rain. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.09/
On top of that, sharp sliders and knuckle curves are thrown at a similar weight to fastballs, and sinkers with fastballs are also fierce.

While he does not allow home runs well and has excellent strikeout ability to reach 10.47 strikeouts per 9 innings, he has a lot of walks (5.5 per 9 innings), so it is a bit disappointing to digest innings. However, as he has a strong ball power, he is expected to be a beneficiary of ABS (automatic ball determination system) like teammate Eric Gamboa (28).

He played for Triple-A under the Cleveland Guardians this season. This year's record is 5 wins and 4 losses with a 3.42 ERA. The average fastball speed was 148.8km, but on the last appearance of Triple-A (July 31), he recorded a maximum of 154.7km, raising his physical condition.

Velazquez repeatedly expressed cautious confidence throughout the interview. "I hate losing. He stressed several times that he came to help Lotte win.

I'm in front of the milestone… Ponce's First Defeat Gift? I'm here to prove it Lotte's ultra-light speed work for Velazquez surprised Hanwha
Velazquez's bright smile at the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok
Questions about two Tommy John surgeries (reconstruction-exchange surgery of the inner ligament of the elbow) and a big league career that was cut off by them were also unwavering. "I understand the reason for such doubts and concerns. I will do my best to show that he is a different player from that worry. I want to prove it in the game as a professionalWhile saying "I want to show leadership leading the team. If young players have any questions about me, I will pass on my experience and help them," he stressed.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.