U.S. journalist Ponce is concerned about serious injury, saying, "Right knee discomfort symptoms → It's not a final diagnosis, it's going to be thoroughly examined."

*This content was translated by AI.

Cody Ponce (32, Toronto Blue Jays), who returned to the Major League with high expectations as a former KBO League MVP, left the mound due to an unexpected injury in his first appearance. The club's initial announcement that "he felt uncomfortable in his knee" came out, but there are voices of concern in the region about the possibility that it will not be a simple injury.

The Toronto club officially announced on the 31st (Korea Standard Time) that "starting pitcher Cody Ponce has been replaced due to right knee discomfort" during the Colorado Rockies match at Rogers Center.

Ponce started the home game against Colorado on the same day, 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. In the top of the third inning, Jake McCarty's ground ball was handled directly in the crisis of one out and third base, and his knee appeared to be bent. Ponce collapsed on the ground as it was, and the medical staff was rushed in. Afterwards, Ponce fortunately got up on his own after stabilizing and left the stadium in a cart.

First of all, there was a warning that the knee was uncomfortable, but the local reporters' perspective was much more cautious. Keegan Mathison, a Toronto reporter for Major League Baseball's official website MLB.com , expressed concern on his SNS, emphasizing, "The discomfort in the right knee is only an initial diagnosis, not a final diagnosis."

It was interpreted that "discomfort" or "contamination by hitting", which is usually announced immediately after the game, is a comprehensive term used in the pre-precision stage. Reporter Mathison said, "Almost all injuries are initially recorded as discomfort, but only after a thorough examination do the actual detailed results come out. Maybe coach John Schneider will tell you the details after the game. However, since it is night time, details are unlikely to come out," he said, predicting that it would be difficult for specific test results to come out immediately.

Ponce, who dominated the Korean stage with an overwhelming 17-1 record and a 1.89 average magnetic field score for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League last season, signed a big three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto and took the big league mound for the first time in five years since 2021 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The start was perfect. It seemed to signal the reproduction of the "reverse export myth" by turning over the first and second innings with powerful pitches. However, in the top of the third inning, he fell off balance while trying to deal with a ground ball during the defense process, and eventually was carried off on a stretcher complaining of severe pain. On the record, it was a pitch of one run in two ⅓ innings, but it met a huge reef called injury.

Whether Ponce, who should be in charge of one of the pillars of Toronto's starters, will leave is expected to be a decisive variable in the management of the team's rotation in the future. If it turns out to be a serious injury such as ligament or cartilage damage beyond a simple bruise, Toronto's season plan will inevitably suffer a huge setback. Whether Ponce will be able to avoid the worst and stand on the mound again, the attention of domestic baseball fans is focused on the results of a detailed examination that will be announced soon.

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*This content was translated by AI.