Will Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles pitch as the starting pitcher for the opening game for the second consecutive year? Will the $1 million foreign pitcher Kodi Ponce earn the honor of starting? This will be a happy dilemma for Hanwha.

Ponce appeared as the starting pitcher in a practice game against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on the 16th, showcasing a perfect no-hitter over 5 innings with a fastball reaching 155 km per hour and various off-speed pitches, recording 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 6 strikeouts, no hits, and no runs.

The NC Dinos fielded a lineup featuring Park Min-woo, Kim Joo-won, Son Ah-seop, Davidson, Park Gun-woo, Kwon Hee-dong, Seo Ho-cheol, Park Se-hyuk, and Kim Sung-wook, aside from the absence of catcher Kim Hyung-jun. Park Se-hyuk was substituted after being hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, bringing Kim Hyung-jun into the game.

Ponce finished the 1st and 2nd innings in a row with three outs. In the 3rd inning, after 1 out, he allowed Park Se-hyuk to reach base on a hit by pitch and walked Kim Sung-wook. In a situation with 1 out and runners on first and second, he maintained his scoreless inning by inducing Park Min-woo into a groundout to first base and Kim Joo-won into a flyout to shortstop.

In the 4th inning, after 2 outs, he issued a walk to Park Gun-woo, but there were no runs scored, and in the 5th inning, he struck out Seo Ho-cheol, Kim Hyung-jun, and Kim Sung-wook in succession.

With less than a week until the opening, Hanwha has not yet revealed its opening starting rotation. However, looking at the pitching schedule, it would be ideal for Ponce, who threw 78 pitches as a starter on the 16th, to take 5 days off and be ready as the starting pitcher against KT on the 22nd.

Most teams have already designated the pitchers who pitched on the 15th and 16th as their opening day starters. Lotte's Barnes, KT's Heisus, Doosan's Colabin, and Samsung's Hurado pitched an appropriate number of pitches in their last checks of condition on the 16th. SSG's Anderson, LG's Chirinos, and Kiwoom's Rosenberg started on the 15th in practice games. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop noted, “Our starters will pitch in intervals of one week.”

However, Ryu Hyun-jin of Hanwha could also be a starting pitcher for the opening game. Ryu returned to the KBO League last year after 12 years and pitched as the opening game starter. On the 13th, Ryu took the mound as a starter against Lotte, throwing 65 pitches over 4 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. The pitch count increased sufficiently. Even if he doesn’t pitch in the practice game against Samsung on the 17th and 18th, he can adjust his condition in time for the opening game.

This year, Hanwha will start the season at the new stadium in Daejeon, which is set to open. They will hold a historic home opener against KIA on the 28th. The starting pitcher for the regular season opener on the 22nd will also be in the rotation for the home opener on the 28th. Considering the symbolism, Ryu may record being the starting pitcher for both the opening game and the first game at the new stadium.

Ponce also throws a powerful fastball in the mid-150s with a variety of breaking pitches. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020 to 2021, recording a total of 20 Major League games (5 as a starter) with a record of 1 win, 7 losses, and an earned run average of 5.86. He moved to Japan's professional baseball in 2022, played for Nippon Ham for 2 years, and then played for Rakuten in 2024. In Japan, he recorded a total of 39 games (202 innings) with 10 wins, 16 losses, and an earned run average of 4.54.

Recently, there has been consistent mention of the possibility of Ponce entering the KBO League in the off-season, leading Hanwha to acquire him with a total contract value of $1 million (with a signing bonus of $200,000 and an annual salary of $800,000). Ponce has shown good pitching performance in 2 practice games, throwing 9 innings while allowing only 3 hits, 5 walks, and striking out 10 without allowing any runs.

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