The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Professional Baseball League decorated their first game at Daejeon ShinKyu Stadium with an unforgettable comeback. At the center was new foreign pitcher KODI Ponce (31). He showcased outstanding pitching and remarkable leadership, earning the glory of being the first winning pitcher at Daejeon ShinKyu Stadium.

Hanwha recorded a 7-2 comeback victory in the home opener and inaugural game against the KIA Tigers in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, held on the 28th at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. The batting lineup remained silent with no runs until the 6th inning, but began the 7th inning with a home run by Kim Tae-yeon, scoring 5 runs in a big inning to sensationally complete their first game at ShinKyu Stadium.

It would have been an impossible victory without Ponce's resilience of 7 innings and 105 pitches. Ponce, who surpassed Ryu Hyun-jin, earned the honor of being the first starting pitcher at ShinKyu Stadium after the opener, giving up 7 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, and 2 earned runs while striking out 8 KIA batters, marking his KBO League debut victory. Hanwha also snapped a 4-game losing streak following the opener.

It was a display of why he is regarded as the top foreign pitcher. On this day, Ponce mixed six types of pitches, including his fastball, which reached a top speed of 156 km/h and an average of 153 km/h (49 pitches), along with curveballs (26), changeups (16), two-seam fastballs, sliders (more than 6), and cutters (2). His overall pitch quality was impressive, with a changeup that dropped vertically like a forkball and a powerful curve averaging 131 km/h, disrupting the batter's timing. His command, equally capable of accurately placing pitches to any desired area, stood out.

Above all, what shone was his mental strength. Despite Hanwha's lineup being tightly blocked until the 6th inning, Ponce remained unfazed. In fact, after the 5th inning, he gathered the fielders in front of the dugout to energize them, saying, “I believe in you all. If we can just score one run, we can turn this around, so let’s do our best.” This was a leadership quality not typically seen from a new foreign player joining the team this year.

However, the Hanwha lineup was stifled by KIA starter James Neall and failed to score until the 6th inning, while Ponce allowed the stadium's first home run to Patrick Wisdom in the 7th. It was a moment that could have crumbled him, but Ponce stood firm. As he reached 101 pitches with two outs and runners on first and third, Yang Sang-moon, the pitching coach, came to the mound, but no sign for a change was given.

Remaining on the mound, Ponce struck out Byeon Woo-hyuk after four pitches, completing the inning himself. His final fastball hit 151 km/h. Even after 100 pitches, he showcased incredible stamina by throwing at a speed in the 150 km/h range.

Ponce's fighting spirit finally drew a response from the Hanwha batters. In the bottom of the 7th after two outs, Kim Tae-yeon hit a solo home run to left field off KIA's closer Jeon Sang-hyun, breaking the scoreless streak. Subsequently, consecutive walks from Lim Jong-chan, Lee Jin-young, Moon Hyun-bin, and Hwang Young-mook scored pushing runs, tying the game at 2-2. In the meantime, a hit by Choi In-ho off the new pitcher Kwak Do-kyu resulted in another pushing score, turning the game around to 3-2. Though KIA replaced the pitcher with Lee Jun-young, Esteban Florial's mis-hit became a double that landed in left field, extending the lead to 5-2. Hanwha added two more runs in the bottom of the 8th due to an opposing error and a one-RBI triple by YIDO, winning the game 7-2.

Ponce, who became the first winning pitcher at ShinKyu Stadium, said after the game, "It is an honor to pitch in the home opener, and I am really happy to have become the winning pitcher in the first official game held at a new stadium. It was all due to the strength of my teammates who were determined to win as one." He expressed gratitude to his teammates, recalling, "After the 5th inning, I told the fielders, 'I believe in you all. If we can score just one run, we can turn this around, so let’s do our best,' and thanks to the many runs we scored in the last inning, I was able to become the winning pitcher."

Ponce continued, "Above all, it was a game where I confirmed the tremendous passion of Hanwha Eagles fans. The energy from our fans is really amazing. I will do my best on the mound so that I can continue to receive this cheer in the future."

Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon also noted, "Everyone was in a tough situation due to the team's losing streak, and there was likely a lot of tension since it was our opening game at ShinKyu Stadium. However, we were able to overcome the cold and tension thanks to the support and cheers from the fans who filled the stadium." He concluded, "I would like to thank the fans once again and tell all the players they did a great job."

Hanwha will challenge for a two-game winning streak with Ryan Weiss against KIA on the 29th. The KIA, which has fallen into a three-game losing streak, will have Yang Hyun-jong as the starting pitcher.

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