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 teams from 1998 to 2015. Some of these teams include the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals.
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Bruce Chen's Early Life and Family
Bruce Chen was born in Panama City, Panama. His parents are José and Luisa Chen. Bruce has a brother named Kastulo and a sister named Karla.
Bruce's family has roots in China. His grandfather, Kuen Chin Chan Lee, moved to Panama from China when he was nine years old. This happened during the Chinese Civil War. Bruce's grandmother, Kuen Yin Liu de Laffo, was born in Panama. However, her family had to return to China for a time. She later came back to Panama when she was 24.
Bruce went to the Panamerican Institute in Panama City. He is the only student from that school to play in the major leagues. He also studied civil engineering at Georgia Tech during the baseball off-season.
Bruce Chen's Baseball Career
Starting Out in Baseball
Playing for the Atlanta Braves
Bruce Chen began his professional baseball journey when he signed with the Atlanta Braves on July 1, 1993. He was an amateur free agent, meaning he wasn't drafted but signed directly.
He quickly showed his talent in the minor leagues. In 1997, he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star. He won 12 games and had a 3.51 ERA for the Macon Braves. The next year, in 1998, he was a Southern League All-Star and was named their Most Outstanding Pitcher. He also earned honors as a Double-A All-Star and the Braves' minor league pitcher of the year.
Bruce Chen made his big league debut with the Braves on September 7, 1998. He played against the New York Mets. Just five days later, on September 12, he earned his first MLB win against the Florida Marlins. He stayed with the Braves until mid-2000. During this time, he played in 42 games and had a record of 8 wins and 2 losses.
Moving to the Philadelphia Phillies
In July 2000, the Braves traded Bruce Chen to the Philadelphia Phillies. With the Phillies, he became a full-time starting pitcher. He started 31 games and finished with 7 wins and 9 losses. He had a 4.28 ERA. While he was with the Phillies, he had a special group of fans who called themselves "The Chen Pen."
Mid-Career Journeys
Bruce Chen moved to several teams during the middle part of his career. In July 2001, he was traded to the New York Mets. He made 11 starts for the Mets. He also started the first game the Mets played after the September 11 attacks. This game was at Shea Stadium on September 21.
In April 2002, Chen was traded again, this time to the Montreal Expos. He played in 15 games for them. Just two months later, in June 2002, he was traded for the fourth time to the Cincinnati Reds. He mostly pitched in relief for the Reds, appearing in 39 games.
After being released by the Reds, he signed with the Houston Astros in March 2003. He played in 11 games for them. Then, in May 2003, the Boston Red Sox claimed him. He pitched in 5 games for the Red Sox.
In November 2003, he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He later joined the Baltimore Orioles in May 2004. While with the Orioles, he improved his pitching by adding a new pitch called a changeup. His pitches included a fast pitch (87–90 mph) and a slow curveball.
Bruce Chen also played for the Panamanian team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He pitched well against a strong Cuba team in the first round. After the 2006 season, he became a free agent. He then signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers in February 2007. He made the Rangers' main roster and pitched out of the bullpen.
Later Career Highlights
Success with the Kansas City Royals
Bruce Chen played for Panama again in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In March 2009, he signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. He made his debut with the Royals on June 27, 2009. On August 6, 2009, he earned his first major league win since October 2005.
He re-signed with the Royals in December 2009. On April 26, 2010, he earned his first MLB save. This happened in a 3–1 victory against the Seattle Mariners. On July 3, 2010, he pitched seven perfect innings before allowing a hit.
On October 1, 2010, Bruce Chen threw his first career shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays. A shutout means he pitched the entire game without allowing the other team to score any runs. He finished the 2010 season with a strong record of 12 wins and 7 losses. His ERA was 4.17.
He continued to have a good year in 2011, with 12 wins and 8 losses. His ERA was 3.77. In November 2011, he signed a two-year deal to stay with the Royals. In 2012, he had 11 wins and 14 losses. He also had a career-high 140 strikeouts. Even though Panama did not qualify for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Team China asked Chen if he would play for them because of his Chinese heritage.
He returned to the Royals for the 2014 season. On July 22, 2014, he reached a special milestone. He tied Mariano Rivera for the most wins by a Panamanian-born player, with 82 wins. He was released by the Royals in September 2014.
Final Season with the Cleveland Indians
In February 2015, Bruce Chen signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians added him to their main roster in May. After pitching in a few games, he was released on May 16. Two days later, he announced his retirement from baseball.
However, Bruce Chen came 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 became a Cultural Development Adviser for the Cleveland Indians organization. Later, he moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. There, he worked as their Latin America Field Coordinator.
Images for kids
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Chen with the Kansas City Royals
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Chen para niños
