Seoul: Hanwha Eagles ace Cody Ponce has been undefeated so far this season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), going a perfect 8-0 in 11 starts while also leading the league with 97 strikeouts and a 1.63 ERA. With Ponce set to face the LG Twins for the first time this season Wednesday night, Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said Ponce is due for a bad outing.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Youm expressed his hope that Ponce's streak might end during their encounter. "He has to get knocked around at some point and I hope it comes today against our team," Youm said with a wry smile during his pregame scrum at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "It's hard to win every game in baseball."
Youm is no different than other managers, in that, given the way Ponce has been pitching this year, all they can do is to merely hope that the American right-hander will have a poor game. Ponce tied a KBO record by striking out 18 batters in an eight-inning gem against the SSG Landers two outings ago on May 17. But five days later, Ponce threw just 89 pitches -- the second-lowest total of the season -- over five innings in a no-decision against the NC Dinos.
For Wednesday's game, the Twins will counter with Australian right-hander Coen Wynne, who will make his final KBO start as a temporary injury replacement for Elieser Hernandez. Wynne has gone 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA in four starts. He has designs of returning to the KBO next year when teams will each be given an extra spot for an Asian or Australian player in addition to their three foreign players.
Youm said Wynne has performed better than what his numbers show. "As our fifth starter, he has done his job admirably," Youm said. "We managed to win a couple of his starts. And I think he's going to have a great game today because it is his final opportunity to show us what he's got."