Bruce Chen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bruce Chen |
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Chen with the Kansas City Royals
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 19, 1977 Panama City, Panama |
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| debut | |||
| September 7, 1998, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 15, 2015, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 82–81 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.62 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,140 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Bruce Chen | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 陳用彩 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 陈用彩 | ||||||||
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Bruce Kastulo Chen (born June 19, 1977) is a former professional baseball pitcher from Panama. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for many different teams from 1998 to 2015. Chen was known for his unique pitching style and his long career in the big leagues.
Contents
Meet Bruce Chen: Baseball Pitcher
Bruce Chen was born in Panama City, Panama. His parents are José and Luisa Chen. Bruce has Chinese family roots, as his grandparents came to Panama from China. He has a brother named Kastulo and a sister named Karla. Bruce went to the Panamerican Institute in Panama City.
Bruce Chen's Baseball Journey
Starting His Career: Early Years
Playing for the Atlanta Braves
Bruce Chen started his professional baseball career when he signed with the Atlanta Braves on July 1, 1993. He quickly showed his talent in the minor leagues. In 1997, he was named an All-Star in the South Atlantic League. The next year, in 1998, he was chosen as an All-Star and the Most Outstanding Pitcher in the Southern League. He was also named the Braves' minor league pitcher of the year.
Chen made his first appearance in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Braves on September 7, 1998. He earned his first MLB win just five days later, on September 12. He played for the Braves until the middle of the 2000 season.
Moving to the Philadelphia Phillies
In July 2000, Bruce Chen was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. With the Phillies, he became a full-time starting pitcher. He had a special group of fans who called themselves "The Chen Pen" because they loved watching him play.
Middle of His Career: Many Teams
Bruce Chen moved to several different teams during the middle part of his career. In July 2001, he was traded to the New York Mets. He even started the first game for the Mets after the September 11 attacks, which was a very important moment.
He was traded again in April 2002 to the Montreal Expos. Later that year, in June, he was traded for a fourth time to the Cincinnati Reds. After playing for the Reds, he signed with the Houston Astros in 2003. The Boston Red Sox then picked him up later that year.
In 2004, Chen joined the Baltimore Orioles. During this time, he improved his pitching by adding a new type of pitch called a changeup. He also played for the Panamanian team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, which is a big international baseball tournament.
Later Career: Finding a Home with the Royals
Time with the Kansas City Royals
Bruce Chen played for Panama again in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In March 2009, he signed with the Kansas City Royals. He made his debut with the Royals in June 2009 and earned his first win with the team in August.
In 2010, Chen had a great season. He earned his first MLB save in April. In July, he pitched seven perfect innings, meaning no one on the other team got on base. On October 1, 2010, he threw his first complete game shutout in MLB, where he pitched the entire game and didn't let the other team score any runs. He finished that season with a strong record of 12 wins and 7 losses.
Chen continued to play well for the Royals in 2011, with another 12-win season. He signed a new two-year deal to stay with the team. In 2012, he had a career-high 140 strikeouts. He returned to the Royals for the 2014 season. In July 2014, he tied a record for the most wins by a Panamanian-born player with 82 wins.
Short Stop with the Cleveland Indians
In 2015, Bruce Chen signed with the Cleveland Indians. He played a few games for them before deciding to retire from baseball in May 2015. However, he did come out of retirement briefly to pitch for Team China in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Life After Playing Baseball
After retiring from playing, Bruce Chen continued to work in baseball. He first worked for the Cleveland Indians organization, helping with player development. Later, he moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, where he became their Latin America Field Coordinator.
Personal Life
Bruce Chen is married to his wife, Mary, and they have three daughters. He is the only person from the Panamerican Institute to play in Major League Baseball. Bruce has also studied civil engineering at Georgia Tech during the baseball off-season.
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Chen para niños
