Chao-Chi Sung

From BR Bullpen

Chao-Chi Sung (宋肇基)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 3", Weight 209 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Chao-Chi Sung was one of the top youth pitchers of the 1990s whose professional career was derailed by injury.

Sung was the big star of the San-Hua club of Taiwan that won the 1990 Little League World Series; the team was loaded with future professional players such as Chin-Feng Chen, Sung-Hsien Yang, Han-Chou Tseng and Chang-Ming Cheng. Sung struck out 16 Shippensburg, PA batters in the LLWS finale that year, allowing only two hits, to lead San-Hua to the title.

In the 1993 Senior League World Series, the 15-year-old won MVP honors after leading in home runs in addition to being the best hurler. He played in the 1994 Asian Junior Championship. He next was MVP of the 1994 World Junior Championship, in which Taiwan won the Bronze Medal; Sung was 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA and only two walks in 25 innings. The tourney included future major leaguers Randy Wolf, Adam Piatt, Ben Davis, Ryan Freel, Ryan Drese, Eric Valent, Eric DuBose and Michael Barrett as well as Seung-yeop Lee, who would set home run records in South Korea.

Sung went 1-1 with a 1.17 ERA in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup and then turned pro with the Chinatrust Whales. He went 7-7 with a 4.73 ERA in a fair rookie campaign in 2000, then improved to 6-5 with a save and a 3.55 ERA in 2001. In the 2001 Baseball World Cup, the 23-year-old who was no stranger to the international stage struggled with 10 hits and 4 runs (2 earned) in four innings to post Taiwan's second-worst ERA. Taiwan claimed the Bronze Medal in the event.

The Tainan native had his best season in 2002. He went 16-8 with a 2.13 ERA. In 206 2/3 IP, he allowed only 142 hits while striking out 183. Sung also attended the 2002 CPBL All-Star Game, and he pitched 2 shutout innings. He led the CPBL in ERA, strikeouts and wins, becoming the first pitching Triple Crown winner in league history. He was named to the Best Ten and also won MVP honors and CPBL Most Improved Player Award. Sung helped Taiwan take a Bronze at the 2002 Asian Games. He fell to 3-4 with a save and a 3.80 ERA in 2003, his final season before injuries ended his career.

Sung threw a fastball (peak 92 mph), curveball and knuckleball.

Overall, Sung was 32-24 with a 3.21 record, struck out 397 and pitched 477 innings in 4 seasons in the CPBL.

Sources[edit]

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