Now it's KBO history! The first 15 consecutive wins and at least 200K games...But the most special record is
Aug 12, 2025
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Ponce started the home game against the Lotte Giants at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 12th and recorded three hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
a game of history. On this day, Ponce became the first KBO league to win the opening 15 consecutive games. He is now the only one to set a record in 14 consecutive wins, matching Jung Min-tae (Hyundai Unicorns) in 2003 and Hector Noesi (KIA Tigers) in 2017. Both Hyundai in 2003 and KIA in 2017 won the championship.
In addition, he had a record of 200 strikeouts in the least games (23 games) in history. The previous record was 25 games recorded by Ariel Miranda (Doosan) in 2021. In addition, he became the fourth Hanwha player to record 200 strikeouts after Chung Min-chul (203) in 1996, Ryu (204) in 2006, and Ryu (210) in 2012.
Ponce, who added one strikeout against the first batter Kim Dong-hyuk in the top of the first inning, was on the verge of a one-out first and second base with Han Tae-yang's walk and Ko Seung-min's hit, but he was able to finish the inning with Victor Reyes being caught with a straight hit to shortstop and Han Tae-yang, who failed to return home.
Ponce, who made the first three-out inning in the top of the second inning, struck out two in the top of the third inning and finished the inning with three batters. In the top of the fourth inning, he struck out one more and retired with three outs. In the fifth inning, he got a hit by Yoo Kang-nam after two outs, but struck out Son Ho-young after four pitches, continuing his scoreless streak.
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While Ponce was on the mound, the Hanwha lineup supported two points. He scored the first run in the bottom of the first inning and added a score in the bottom of the third inning.
Following Ponce, Han Seung-hyuk (⅔ scoreless innings), Kim Bum-soo (⅓ scoreless innings), and Kim Seo-hyun (one ⅓ scoreless innings) came up one after another to complete the "History of Ponce".
After the game, Ponce said "I'm so grateful, and I've worked so hard until this moment. Not only me but also my colleagues worked hard to achieve today's results. Two runs came out in the beginning, and seven innings later, the middle pitcher defended well. I want to thank the coaching staff."
Despite achieving several records, Ponce's record of most strikeouts (18) in a game achieved in May was still more valuable. Ponce said "18 strikeouts are good" and "15 consecutive wins in the season are possible because a lot of luck follows." The 200 strikeouts are also a record that can be achieved after a season. However, I didn't think I would achieve 18 strikeouts, but if I had to pick one, 18 strikeouts were the most special."
Ponce will now challenge the record for the most strikeouts in a single season. Miranda has 225 strikeouts in a single season. At the current pace, it's possible, but Ponce has indicated that he doesn't care much about his personal goals,
Ponce continued "The ultimate goal is to win the Korean Series. Rather than following the goal, I think there will be good results if I come to the ballpark every game and do my best in my role. My role is to lead the team to the Korean Series as a starting pitcher and win the championship, so I have no external goal."
Meanwhile, as Hanwha took control of the game, Hanwha coach Kim Kyung-moon will record his third 1,000 wins as a head coach after former coach Kim Eung-yong and former coach Kim Sung-geun. Coach Kim achieved the record of 1,000 wins at 66 years, 9 months, and 11 days.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
