Blue Jays have New Hope in Star Wars superfan Ponce delivering for Toronto in 2026

The Toronto Blue Jays took a page out of Luke Skywalker's playbook in 2025 and brought down the Evil Empire, beating the New York Yankees for the AL East division title. With their sights set on a sequel in 2026, they are hoping that a return to North America from a Jedi-lore loving pitcher will aid those efforts in mitigating that Empire's attempt to strike back.

Cody Ponce, the MVP of the Korean Baseball Organization last year, is already winning over the fan base with his down to earth attitude and stories of perseverance. Now, he's bringing a sci-fi perspective to his new clubhouse with a unique pregame ritual that encompasses his Star Wars fandom.

Blue Jays have New Hope in Star Wars superfan Ponce delivering for Toronto in 2026

Speaking to local media via Zoom, Ponce says he watches something from the Star Wars franchise before every start. He says, "I can watch an entire movie, I can watch the Clone Wars animation, I can watch the Lego's or the Ahsoka (series). I have a tattoo of Star Wars that I love. It's why I chose the jersey number 30 last year, because my initials are CP, so it would be CP 30, the revers of C-3P0. So, yeah, I love Star Wars."

That goes without saying! It's fun to see an athlete show this side to themselves, especially when, for a long-time it felt almost taboo to say you liked sports, and liked science fiction. Although that seems like something out of a long bye-gone era as multiple teams in multiple sports look for ways to attract more fans, by appealing to their other hobbies or interest. You can regularly find "Star Wars appreciation night" as a staple in many leagues.

Ponce joined the Blue Jays on a three-year $30 million deal this offseason and his actual role on the club remains to be seen. He's been a starter ever since he left MLB to play in Japan and South Korea, but he also worked out of the bullpen during his last stint in MLB, although that was five years ago, in 2021.

But the Blue Jays themselves have some questions marks around their starting rotation. At the top of that group there is Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage. José Berrios, if healthy, should slot into that group, but they also have Eric Lauer who was a valuable arm in 2025, and players like Bowden Francis, Ricky Tiedemann and Adam Macko, to name a few, who are jostling for big league spots.

Regardless of where Ponce ends up, starting or relieving, the Blue Jays are hoping he can bring to the table what made him so successful in the KBO where he went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA over 29 starts and 180.2 innings. He also set the league's single-season strikeout record with 252 K's and the single-game record with 18 punch outs.