Will Moon Dong-ju be able to come out? Will Kim Seo-hyun be done? If Ponce collapses again, I am worried about useless things. Will he recover his pride?
Oct 24, 2025
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Kim Seo-hyun, who came out in the first game with a three-run gap, allowed two runs after three hits, including a home run, and was replaced with only one out count, failed to come out in the second and third games, and came out in the middle, not the finish, but was hit by Kim Young-woong in the bottom of the sixth inning.
However, head coach Kim Kyung-moon said, `The ball was not bad. I will throw Kim Seo-hyun at the end of Game 5." Attention is focusing on whether Kim Seo-hyun will be able to overcome the burden when the finishing situation comes.
But there is a pitcher who has to throw well before. It's the ace, Cody Ponce.
Ponce is the pitcher who hit the KBO League this season. He tied for first place with 17 wins, with a 1.89 ERA, the highest record ever with 252 strikeouts, and the first place with a 0.944 winning percentage, winning four gold medals.
Naturally, Ponce was selected in the first round of the PO, and of course, he was expected to throw well. However, Ponce lasted six innings, but allowed seven hits (one homer), one walk, and six runs (five earned).
Ponce, who gave up three runs first with three consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly in the top of the second inning, turned the tables in the bottom of the second inning by Hanwha hitters scoring as many as five runs, but allowed another tie in the top of the third inning with three hits and a sacrifice fly, and was even hit by Kim Tae-hoon in the top of the fourth inning. On this day, Ponce threw a fastball of up to 157 kilometers, showing the same pitch as the regular league, but he showed a little difficulty in controlling the ball, and Samsung hitters, who had a good batting sense, did not miss the actual pitch and lost the most points in their first postseason appearance.
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Now it's a must-win Game 5. There is no next. The winning team will play in Game 1 of the Korean Series in Jamsil two days later.
Hanwha should take the lead with Ponce throwing well.
Choi Won-tae, who won the second round of PO and semi-PO, will play for Samsung. In other words, the match between the best ace and the postseason ace was decided in Game 5.
It is also curious whether Moon Dong-ju, who won two scoreless innings in Game 1 and four scoreless innings in Game 3, will take the mound, but Ponce's good pitching comes first. If Ponce collapses at the beginning like in the first game, the flow may move toward Samsung from the beginning and be dragged without being able to use the next card.
Fans hope this will not be their last appearance in Korea because Ponce is already likely to return to the Major League.
Will Ponce bring Hanwha to the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years since 2006.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
