Yang-Kai Chen

Yang-Kai Chen (陳揚凱) formerly Jung-Tsao Chen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.

• School National Taiwan University of Sport‎
• High School Meiho High School‎

• Born February 20, 1978 in Hengchun, Pingtung Taiwan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yang-Kai Chen pitched for the Taiwanese national team, and in the CPBL.

Chen represented Taiwan in the 1993 World Youth Championship, 1996 World Junior Championship, 1997 World Port Tournament, 1998 Baseball World Cup, 2001 Asian Championship and 2001 Baseball World Cup. In the 1998 Cup, he was 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA, leading Taiwan in IP (13 1/3) and whiffs (16). He got the win over Andrei Bogatyrev and Russia. In the 2001 Cup, he pitched six shutout innings over three outings, allowing only two hits and one walk.

The Uni-President Lions drafted Chen in the first round of the 2001 CPBL Draft. The Hengchun native had a 3.11 ERA in 33 relief outings, and participated in the All-Star Game as a rookie. He won Game 2 of the 2001 Taiwan Series against the Brother Elephants and saved Chao-Huang Lin's Game 4 win but lost Game 6 in a bid to close it out. Chen was still reliable in 2002, and recorded a 3.73 ERA in 23 game pitched. His ERA slightly rose to 4.67 in the next year, but Chen then bounced back soon. He had a 3.35 ERA and pitched 43 innings in 2004. However, Chen suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss nearly the entire 2005 season. The Lions released him after that year, and the Sinon Bulls picked him up. Chen never recovered from the injury, and he only pitched 13 2/3 innings and allowed 13 runs. The Bulls released Chen again after the 2006 season, and his career ended.

Chen's repertoire included a fastball (peak 90 mph), curveball, changeup, sinker, and slider.

Overall, Chen was 13-12 with a 4.09 ERA and pitched 233 1/3 innings in six seasons in the CPBL.

Sources

• Defunct IBAF site
• CPBL Player Page
• Taiwan Baseball Wiki