Chun-Lin Kuo

Chun-Lin Kuo (郭俊麟)
known as Shun-Lin Kaku in Japan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 156 lb.

• School National Taiwan University of Sport
• High School Shi-Yuan High School

• Born February 2, 1992 in Hsinchu City Taiwan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Chun-Lin Kuo has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Taiwanese national team.

Kuo played for Taiwan in the 2010 World Junior Championship. He was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA and struck out 24 in 14 innings, second in the tournament behind Chang-sik Yoo. He fanned 18 in a game against the Netherlands.

The right-hander was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in the 2011 World Port Tournament, striking out 14 in 13 innings. He led the team in ERA and whiffs. He tied David Bergman for third in the event in ERA and tied Dalier Hinojosa and Jonathan Balentina for second in Ks, behind Yadier Pedroso. In the 2011 Baseball World Cup, he had a tale of two starts. In game one, he let the first three batters from host Panama reach, then served up a grand slam to Fernando Seguignol; he would give up eight hits and seven runs in three innings before Ching-Lung Lo took over in a 14-8 loss. Against Greece, he teamed with Hao-Chun Chiu and Yu-Hsun Chen on a one-hitter, going three innings and giving up the hit (to Panagiotis Cheikalis). His 10.50 ERA wound up highest of qualifiers on the staff.

Kuo had a 1.64 ERA and 14 strikeouts in the 2012 Haarlem Baseball Week, finishing second in Ks behind Marco Gonzales. He struck out nine in a four-hitter against the US, shutting them out for seven innings but being matched by Adam Plutko and three relievers. He finally allowed two in the 8th to take a tough-fought loss against a lineup featuring Kris Bryant and Trea Turner among others.

He was a late scratch from Taiwan's team for the 2013 World Baseball Classic due to injury. He helped Taiwan to a Bronze Medal in the 2013 East Asian Games. He struck out 10 in 8 2/3 IP in the 2014 Asian Games, posting an ERA of 2.08. He teamed with Chia-Hao Sung and Kuo-Hua Lo in a 13-1 win over Thailand. He got the nod in the Gold Medal game against a powerful South Korean national team, boasting the biggest names from the Korea Baseball Organization. He shut them out for four innings before allowing a run in the fifth; Kuan-Yu Chen took over with a 1-1 tie. Taiwan lost a close game, finishing with a Silver Medal; Kuo was second in the event in strikeouts, behind Kuan-Yu Chen. He signed with the Seibu Lions later that year, their fourth Taiwanese player, following Tai-Yuan Kuo, Chih-Chia Chang and Ming-Chieh Hsu, all pitchers who had contributed to Seibu's success.

In the 2014 U21 Baseball World Cup, he won the MVP, beating Japan in the finale as Taiwan won it all. He was 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA, tying for second in wins and posting the best ERA of any hurler who allowed a run. He pitched fairly regularly for Seibu in 2015. In his first start in NPB, he began by getting Keiichi Hirano on a liner as part of a 1-2-3 first then ended with his fanning Yoshio Itoi, but he gave up five hits in the second, including a two-run homer to Eiichi Koyano. He allowed four runs in six before Atsushi Okamoto took over, but got the victory in a 5-4 win. For the year, he was 3-7 with a 5.31 ERA.

Kuo starred for Taiwan in the 2015 Premier 12. He held Italy to two hits and one run in 7 (striking out ten) and Puerto Rico to one run and six hits in eight (walking none, whiffing ten more), but got a no-decision in the latter as Puerto Rico won in extra innings. He was second in the event in strikeouts, one behind Shohei Otani, and was 4th in ERA (behind Otani, Scott Diamond and Andres Santiago). He fell to 0-3, 8.46 his second season with Seibu, 2016.

He started Taiwan's opener in the 2017 World Baseball Classic but struggled in an international tournament for the first time since facing Panama in 2011. He allowed hits to the first four batters for the Israeli national team - Sam Fuld, Ty Kelly, Ike Davis and Nate Freiman - making it 2-0, before he fanned Zach Borenstein. He then allowed a single to Ryan Lavarnway, fanned Blake Gailen and allowed a two-run single to Tyler Krieger before Kuan-Yu Chen took over in what would become a 15-7 loss. He was given another chance in relief against host South Korea, taking over for Kuan-Yu Chen with a 1-0 deficit, one out and two on in the top of the second, but threw a wild pitch, walked Ha-seong Kim, gave up a two-run double to Geon-chang Seo, served up a sacrifice fly to Byung-hun Min and a RBI single to Yong-kyu Lee. He hit Seok-min Park and left with a 5-0 deficit, Wei-Lun Pan taking over and letting an inherited runner score. Taiwan rallied but fell short, 11-8. He wound up with a 63.00 ERA, highest on Taiwan for the event; Fu-Te Ni was next at 54.

Kuo stayed in the NPB Farm League for the entire 2017 season, then he was 1-0 with a 6.32 ERA in 2018. He only pitched 2 games with the big club in 2019, then the Lions released him. Kuo then went back to Taiwan and joined the CPBL. The Fubon Guardians selected him in the second round of the 2020 CPBL Draft, but he soon underwent Tommy John surgery and nearly missed the entire 2021 season. He was selected into the 2022 CPBL All-Star Game, and he pitched 2 shutout innings. He was 3-7 with a 4.11 ERA in 2022. However, Kuo struggled in 2023 as his ERA rose to 7.94 in 23 appearances. The TSG Hawks picked him in the expansion draft after this season, and immediately traded him to the Uni-President Lions for Chen-Yen Chiang.

He throws a fastball (peak time 95 mph), slider, curveball, changeup and sinker.