(LEAD) Eagles ace Ponce breaks KBO strikeout record

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- Hanwha Eagles ace Cody Ponce set a new single-season strikeout record in South Korean baseball Wednesday, further burnishing his MVP case in his first year here.

Ponce notched his 226th strikeout of the season during a game against the NC Dinos at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul. By striking out Cheon Jae-hwan in the top of the fifth inning, Ponce surpassed the previous Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) record of 225 strikeouts, set by Ariel Miranda of the Doosan Bears in 2021.

Ponce tied Miranda's mark by striking out Matt Davidson for the second out in the top of the fifth inning, and then claimed the record by getting Cheon to whiff on a 1-2 fastball to close out the inning.

Ponce struck out two more batters in the top sixth before handing things over to the bullpen with a 5-3 lead.

Miranda finished the 2021 season with 225 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings, for an average of 11.66 strikeouts per nine innings. Ponce now has 228 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings, with 12.54 strikeouts per nine frames.

Ponce has already set another KBO record by winning his first 16 decisions to start this season. He came into this game with a 16-0 record and a 1.66 ERA in 25 starts.

Ponce failed to extend his winning streak Wednesday, as his bullpen surrendered two runs in the top of the seventh inning. The game went to extras with the score knotted at 5-5, and following a 42-minute rain delay in the top of the 10th, Hwang Young-mook delivered a walk-off single in the bottom 10th for a 6-5 Eagles win.

After giving up three earned runs over six innings, Ponce saw his ERA tick up to 1.76. But he still leads the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts, as he tries to become the first KBO pitcher since former Dinos pitcher Erick Fedde in 2023 to win the pitching Triple Crown.

On May 17, Ponce tied a nine-inning KBO record with 18 strikeouts against the SSG Landers. On Aug. 12, he became the fastest pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in a season, doing so in his 23rd start and in 144 1/3 innings.

Drew Anderson of the Landers, who broke Ponce's fastest mark on Aug. 27 by getting to 200 strikeouts in 139 innings, is also chasing Miranda's old record. He has 214 strikeouts in 149 1/3 innings, for 12.9 Ks per nine innings, and will likely have three starts left this season.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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