Maroons star Ponga was given his marching orders by referee Ashley Klein for a 58th-minute shoulder charge on Blues winger Tolu Koula.
Ponga's moment of madness handed NSW an avenue back into Wednesday's game at Accor Stadium in Sydney where the Maroons led 20-6 and looked to be cruising towards victory.
But a 78th-minute try to James Tedesco handed the Blues a 1-0 lead in the series after NSW fought back with Strange and halves partner - man-of-the-match Nathan Cleary - punishing an exhausted 12-man Maroons side.
"It's just Origin, it was absolutely crazy, but that's why we love the game," Cleary told the Nine Network.
"It was honestly the tale of two halves but Teddy's actually him just to come with that big play at the end - unbelievable."
Strange was expecting to start on the bench until Tuesday morning when first-choice five-eighth Mitchell Moses was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The Canberra youngster came to life after Ponga's send-off, making several cavalier runs, scoring a try and having another chalked off.
Moses may well be fit for game two in Melbourne on June 17 but Strange has given Blues coach Laurie Daley something to ponder.
Queensland coach Billy Slater, meanwhile, is facing an uphill battle to retain the series, with the Maroons hosting game three in Brisbane on July 8.
The team that has won Origin I has gone on to win the series 70 per cent of the time.
Rookie Maroons No.7 Sam Walker was magnificent for Queensland and had a hand in everything the Maroons did right in the first half, laying on the opening try for Rob Toia and the second for Tom Flegler.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow dived on a Cameron Munster grubberkick and Walker converted all three tries and nudged a penalty goal to put the Maroons in the boxseat.
Cleary set up Hudson Young for the only NSW try of the first half but the Blues were given a window back into the game when Ponga became the seventh player to be sent off in Origin history.
Strange went to work, crabbing and bouncing his way downfield to score a try and give NSW hope.
Cleary then stepped up with a 40/20 and a 71st minute try to cut Queensland's lead to four points.
Tedesco had bombed an overlap earlier in the game but was able to claim and regather an aerial bomb to grab the winner on his first Origin game in two years.
"I wanted to make up for it, so I just told Nath to put it up for me and go and compete," Tedesco said.
"I've worked so hard on that and I'm just happy I came down with it in the end."
