*This content was translated by AI.
The return of "MVP" Cody Ponce (32, Toronto Blue Jays), who dominated the KBO league and returned to the big league, quickly turned into a tragedy. Ponce walked down the mound with an unexpected knee injury, with his family all visiting the stadium to celebrate his first major league start in five years.
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. The number of pitches was 47, of which 30 were strikes.
It was a very special appearance for Ponce on this day. For Ponce, who took the mound in the Major League as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2021 season, it was his first big league return in about five years.
According to Emma Ponce, Cody Ponce's wife, Ponce's family sat in the stands to watch each of his pitches. Ponce, who showed off his overwhelming pitching by striking out three with one out in the third inning, seemed to give his family the best gift. However, Ponce, who tried to handle Jake McCarty's ground ball directly with one out and third base, lost his knee in the defense process.
Ponce collapsed on the ground and complained of severe pain. After that, he got up on his own, but he eventually got out of the stadium on a cart. The Toronto club officially announced Ponce during the game as "a replacement due to right knee discomfort," but the views of local medical experts and reporters are much more specific and pessimistic.
There are three major scenarios raised by local experts, including a Canadian doctor named Harzas Grewall. In the case of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, it is actually out of the season, and meniscus cartilage plate rupture is inevitable for as long as four to six weeks to more than four months, depending on the surgical method. The rupture of the medial ligament (MCL) is also likely to be long-term, depending on the injury grade. In the end, it is predicted that the ligament in the knee may have ruptured after seeing the injury. However, if it is not ACL, it is an opinion that it can return within this season.
Keegan Mathison, a Toronto reporter for the Major League's official website, MLB.com , also said on SNS, "The 'knee discomfort' announced by the club is only a comprehensive term for the stage before a thorough inspection. I think we will know the exact condition of Ponce only when the final diagnosis comes out," he said.
Toronto manager John Schneider also told local reporters after the game that they should wait for the results of the detailed examination. However, Ponce's departure, which was expected to be a key axis of Toronto's starting rotation, became a huge "lightning bolt" for fans who have been waiting for the team as well. Whether Ponce, who took the mound dreaming of a "KBO League reverse export myth," will be able to avoid the worst scenario and get back on his feet with the support of his family, Korean and American baseball fans are paying attention to the results of the detailed examination.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
