Earlier this month, Ponce signed a three-year, $30 million (about 44.2 billion won) contract with Major League Baseball's Toronto, and recently appeared on the American podcast 'Baseball is Dead,' where he reflected on his experiences in Korea and Japan. Ponce recalled his time with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and Rakuten Golden Eagles, saying, "We were under very strict and thorough discipline." Everything from how to wear the uniform and training schedule was carried out within a set framework, but he said, "I don't think it was a bad experience. Thanks to that, I was able to create my own routine," he said. At Hanwha, Ponsei was known as a power pitcher, but in Japan, his fastball peak velocity was only 146 km/h. "I used to throw a 154 km/h fastball, but after coming to Japan, my velocity dropped to 146 km/h. That wasn't a bad thing, but the change was huge," ,,,he said. "That's when I realized I was no longer a power pitcher. I had to become not just a pitcher who throws balls, but someone who knows how to throw the ball. Because of the drop in velocity, I couldn't compete with just fastballs, and in the process, I learned pitching again," he reflected. Ponce's three-season NPB career stats were 39 games, 10 wins, 16 losses, and a 4.54 ERA. One of the reasons for failure was failing to adapt to the environment, saying, "To be honest, I didn't enjoy it. It didn't feel like playing baseball," he said,,, On the other hand, "Korea was the place where I could be the most authentic. In Korea, I regained the pure sense of enjoyment I had when I played baseball as a child," he said. "In Korea, I felt that baseball was all I needed. It was possible to show my emotions," he explained,,,, "The free atmosphere was impressive, and the environment where individuals could express their individuality, like spike customization, led to a desire to go to the baseball stadium." He also mentioned the differences between Japanese and Korean baseball, saying, "Japan values contact skills and tries to make hitted balls in-play at all costs,,, However, "Korea clearly tries to deal damage. They aim for home runs. It's closer to Major League Baseball than Japan," he said. Data utilization There was also a difference in style: "In Japan, I hardly remember receiving a heatmap. I just sat down and talked about how to compete with the batter," he said, ,,, "On the other hand, in Korea, we received heatmaps and videos three days before the pitching and watched the videos on the bus for 3~5 hours. Thanks to that, by the time I got on the mound, all the characteristics of the opposing batter were already in my mind," he pointed out.
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