*This content was translated by AI.
Cody Ponce (32, Toronto Blue Jays), who returned to the Major League for the first time in five years after playing in Japan and Korea, took care of Kazuma Okamoto (30), a new Japanese national infielder. He is said to have left advice to ask for help at any time because he knows the difficulties of living abroad well.
According to the Japanese edition of the Major League's official website MLB.com on the 25th (Korea Standard Time), Ponce has a particular player in Toronto's spring camp this season. It is Okamoto, who will leave the Yomiuri Giants and try to play in the Major League.
Ponce, who first approached Okamoto, who first joined in mid-February, said, "I know the difficulties well because I have experienced baseball not only overseas but also in leagues in other countries. If you have any difficulties, please feel free to come to me," he said.
This was not found in the old Ponce. Ponce joined Nippon Ham Fighters ahead of the 2022 season and entered the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) stage. He moved to the Rakuten Golden Eagles ahead of the 2024 season, but he played 39 games in the NPB's three-year career and only had a normal 10-16 record with a 4.54 ERA.
However, the 2025 season has rebounded completely from the KBO League Hanwha Eagles. As a member of Hanwha, he played 29 regular league games last season and posted a phenomenal stat of 17 wins, 1 loss and 1.89 ERA. He became the MVP of the KBO League (Best Player Award) and the main character of the Cy Young Award "Choi Dong-won Award." The average restraint has increased overall compared to when he was in Japan, and it is evaluated that the installation of a new pitch called "fast change-up" was successful. Ahead of the 2026 season, he returned to the Major League after signing a three-year, $30 million (about 45 billion won) contract with Toronto. Ponce showed stable performance with two wins and no losses with an ERA of 0.66 in five games in this spring camp.
Ponce, who later recalled the days of Japan, recalled that he sometimes felt lonely because of the cultural differences in the absence of a starting pitcher on the bench. He confessed, "In Japan, there were times when pitchers and fielders were lonely because there were few opportunities to communicate." However, knowing well the frustration Ponce felt as a stranger, Okamoto, who had just started a big challenge, claimed to be a helper to quickly melt into the team. It is to be kind by remembering the memories of a fielder and a pitcher hanging out with each other in Korea.
Okamoto is a Japanese national infielder who moved to Toronto from NPB Yomiuri ahead of this season. It is a condition to receive 60 million dollars (about 90 billion won) for four years of contract period. He played as the fourth batter of the Yomiuri Giants and hit a total of 248 home runs in Japanese professional baseball. In Toronto, he also played in eight exhibition games and recorded a not bad record with a batting average of 0.316 (6 hits in 19 at-bats) and one home run and four RBIs. Now I'm preheating and I'm about to play the opening game.
Ponce, who had to watch the game alone in Japan in the past, now protects Toronto's dugout with his strong teammate Okamoto. Ponce, who dominated the Asian stage and proudly wrote the legend of "reverse income" in the Major League, and Okamoto, Japan's top powerhouse. The synergy of the two "Asian Connections" is ready to heat up Rogers Centre in Canada this season.
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*This content was translated by AI.
