Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce says ‘inner child’ helped him to best-ever season

By Canadian Press on February 15, 2026.

DUNEDIN — Cody Ponce had the best season of his career by finding his inner child.

Ponce agreed to a three-year, US$30-million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Dec. 10, returning to major-league baseball from South Korea’s KBO League.

The journeyman pitcher had a 17-1 record over 29 starts with the Hanwha Eagles last season, with a 1.89 earned-run average and 252 strikeouts to earn that league’s most valuable player award.

Ponce spoke with media at the Blue Jays’ spring training camp today.

He says that getting back in touch with his love of “Star Wars” helped him on the field.

The 31-year-old Ponce has a tattoo sleeve of Star Wars images covering his lower right leg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2026.

The Canadian Press