[breaking news] 'Oh my gosh' Ponce injured in shock in MLB's first return in 5 years → injured knee while defending! 1 run in 2 ⅓ innings

*This content was translated by AI.

Cody Ponce (32, Toronto Blue Jays), who dominated the KBO League as a member of the Hanwha Eagles and returned to the Major League for the first time in five years since the 2021 season, went down from the mound early due to unexpected injuries.

Ponce started the 2026 MLB Colorado Rockies at Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the 31st (Korea time), but was replaced after allowing one hit, one walk, three strikeouts and one run in two ⅓ innings. He threw 47 pitches and had 30 strikes.

Ponce showed off his unique powerful pitching early in the game. In the top of the first inning, he caught the leadoff hitter Jake McCarty with a right field defense, and struck out Hunter Goodman with a slider, his main weapon. He then grounded out to Willie Castro to announce a fresh start.

In the second inning, he also showed his crisis management ability to overcome the first crisis. He allowed a double to T.J. Rumfield after one out, but he struck out follow-up hitter Troy Johnston and threw Jordan Beck on a fly ball to end the inning without allowing a run.

However, an unexpected situation occurred in the top of the third inning. Ponce, who was on the verge of a first-out third base due to a leadoff batter's walk and wild pitch, tripped and fell during the wind-up process during the match with McCarty. In the process, Bork was declared and allowed his first run.

Ponce's misfortune on this day did not end here. Ponce, who missed the subsequent ground ball while trying to deal with it himself, collapsed on the ground immediately after feeling severe pain in his right leg. It was Ponce's defensive error on the record. The medical staff was rushed in, and Ponce fortunately got up on his own after finding stability and left the stadium on a stretcher.

After being released by Pittsburgh in 2021, Ponce went through the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and wore a Hanwha Eagles uniform last year. In the KBO League, he won the MVP (best player award) with an overwhelming performance of 17-1, 252 strikeouts, 1.89 ERA, and 0.94 WHIP, signing a three-year, $30 million (about 45.6 billion won) contract with Toronto.

The injury is a painful blow to both the player himself and the club, as Ponce, who also had an ERA of 0.66 in the exhibition game and took the fourth starting position in Toronto. Currently, Ponce seems to be facing a thorough examination, and the direction of Toronto's starting rotation is expected to be determined by the degree of injury.

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*This content was translated by AI.