Myong-ju Cha

Myong-ju Chu (차명주)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 176 lb.

• School Hanyang University
• High School Bukyeong High School

• Born September 22, 1973 in Busan South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Myong-ju Cha pitched for 11 years in the Korea Baseball Organization.

While an amateur, Cha pitched for the South Korean national team. He was the All-Star pitcher of the 1993 Asian Championship. He had a save and a 5.68 ERA in the 1994 Baseball World Cup, allowing 9 hits in 6 1/3 innings and fanning 7. South Korea went on to win Silver. The left-hander pitched in both the 1994 Asian Games and 1995 Asian Championship (in which he was named the best southpaw).

Cha made his pro debut in 1996 with the Lotte Giants, going 2-5 with 8 saves and a 7.43 ERA in 27 games; in 46 innings, he walked 34 and allowed 57 hits. He was 7-9 with a 4.68 ERA in '97, walking 58 in 107 2/3 IP. He lost all 7 of his decisions during the 1998 season though his 4.99 ERA was not horrendous. In 1999, Cha moved to the Doosan Bears. Now used as a LOOGY, he went 1-2 with a save and a 4.01 ERA in 76 1/3 innings spread out over 83 games.

The southpaw was 1-1 with a save and a 4.50 ERA in 2000; he walked 32 in 40 innings and pitched in 57 games. In 2001, Cha won 6, lost two and saved one and had a 3.42 ERA in 84 contests. With Doosan in 2002, Myong-ju had a 1-3, save, 3.86 record. His control improved drastically (19 BB in 51 1/3 IP over 67 games). Turning 30 during the 2003 campaign, the Doosan reliever logged just 31 innings in 77 games. He went 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA.

In 2004, the LOOGY moved to the Hanwha Eagles and pitched 14 2/3 innings in 32 games; he was 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA. Cha went 4-1 with a 5.88 ERA in 2005, allowing 46 hits in 33 2/3 IP (spread over 77 games). In 2006, he only worked 22 innings in 51 games, going 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA. He has not pitched in 2007-2008.

Overall, Cha was 26-31 with 12 saves and a 4.51 ERA in the Korea Baseball Organization. He pitched 612 innings and 613 games, but only 101 1/3 innings over his final 237 games.

Sources

• KBO page
• Defunct IBAF site
• Wiki Baseball (Chinese)