The 12th BNK Choi Dong-won Award Ceremony
The ’12th BNK Choi Dong-won Award’ ceremony, which honors the best pitcher in Korean professional baseball, took place at 2 p.m. on the 11th at the auditorium on the second floor of the Busan Bank headquarters in Nam-gu, Busan.
This year’s prestigious award was given to Cody Ponce (31), the standout pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles who led his team to the Korean Series in the 2025 season. Ponce, the ace of the Hanwha Eagles, set numerous KBO records during the season. He became a star with 18 strikeouts in a single regular inning, 17 consecutive wins in starts since the opening, and 252 strikeouts in a single season.
Ponce also made history as the first foreign pitcher in the KBO League to achieve four key milestones—multiple wins, winning percentage, strikeouts, and ERA—with 17 wins and 1 loss in the regular season, a 1.89 ERA, and 252 strikeouts.
The fact that the winner of the main award of the Choi Dong-won Award came to the ceremony for the first time in a long while drew significant attention. Ponce is currently in South Korea due to the birth of his wife. He plans to stay in Korea for the time being and participate in the ceremony schedule.
The Choi Dong-won Commemorative Association stated, “The best player who raised his team, the Hanwha Eagles, to the second place in the league with overwhelming performance this season, allowing them to enjoy autumn baseball after seven years.” They added, “The selection committee unanimously selected the 12th BNK Busan Bank Choi Dong-won Award as the main character of the 12th BNK Busan Bank Choi Dong-won Award by meeting all the criteria of the ace left by Choi Dong-won.”
Ponce expressed his gratitude, saying, “I know how much the Choi Dong-won Award means to select the best player of the year.” He specifically thanked the eight judges for their unanimous selection and acknowledged the Hanwha Eagles club, colleagues, and fans.
Ponce also turned to Kim Jeong-ja, Choi’s mother, and said, “I will remember the great pitcher, Choi Dong-won. He also left an award named after a great player, saying, ‘I’m particularly honored to win this award.'”
He also sent a message to his wife, who recently gave birth to their daughter, saying, “Thank you very much and I love you.”
The prize money for the “Busan Bank Choi Dong-won Award,” sponsored by BNK Busan Bank, is 20 million won.
Other Awards Recognized
The ‘8th Presidential High School Choi Dong-won Award,’ selected through voting by 36 scouts from 10 professional baseball teams, went to Shin Dong-gun, a third-year student at Dongsan High School in Incheon.
Following last year’s trend, the 6th Baeksong Indomitable Choi Dong-won Prize was awarded to Kyoto International High School, a Korean-ethnic school in Japan. Kyoto International High School has become a prestigious baseball team, having won the Koshien championship last year and reaching the quarterfinals of the Koshien finals this year. In addition to baseball, the school appreciated the recognition of their achievements in the best curriculum award.
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