Yu-Hsun Chen

From BR Bullpen

Yu-Hsun Chen (陳禹勳)

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

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Yu-Hsun Chen has pitched in the CPBL and for the Taiwan national team.

Chen appeared in the 2005 Asian Youth Championship and 2006 World Junior Championship but had Tommy John surgery in 2007 and was sidelined from the international stage for a spell. In the 2011 World Port Tournament, he had a 1-0, 1.00 record, stunningly beating Cuba 4-1. He beat Greece in the 2011 Baseball World Cup, in which he tossed 3 innings total, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks. He also represented Taiwan in the 2012 Haarlem Baseball Week, 2013 East Asian Games and the 2013 World Port Tournament. He notched 3 saves and allowed no runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched in the latter event.

The Lamigo Monkeys drafted Chen in the first round of the 2013 CPBL Draft. The talented pitcher soon became an important part of the Monkeys' bullpen. He played a league-leading 65 games with a 3.65 ERA, and broke the team record with 30 holds. He is still (2023) one of only two players to notch more than 30 holds in a season (the other is Hiroki Sanada). He pitched 3 games and got 2 holds in the 2014 Taiwan Series. The Monkeys beat the CTBC Brothers 4 games to 1, and Chen won the first Taiwan Series Title in his career. Chen's ERA rose to 4.91 in 2015, but he still collected 9 holds and 4 saves. In the 2015 Taiwan Series, Chen was hit by Cheng-Min Peng and Chih-Hsien Chiang, and got a loss in Game 2. The Monkeys reversed and won the Series, and Chen got his second Taiwan Series Title. Chen was on the roster for the 2015 Premier 12. He pitched all 5 games, and didn't allowed any runs in that event. Chen extended his stable pitching in 2016, when he notched 11 saves and 17 holds. He was also selected into the All-Star game again.

2017 was Chen's career year. He broke the CPBL single-season save record held by Miguel Mejia with 37. His ERA was 2.63, and he also collected 3 holds. In the 2017 Taiwan Series, Chen pitched 3 games, notched a save and didn't allow any runs. The Monkeys beat the Elephants again, and Chen won his third Taiwan Series Title. The Taipei native became the first and only player to notch 30 saves in back-to-back season in 2018, and his ERA was still a good 3.16. Chen only pitched one game in the 2018 Taiwan Series, as the Monkeys easily beat the Uni-President Lions, and he got his fourth Taiwan Series Title.

Chen struggled in 2019, as his ERA rose to 4.46, and the closer spot was taken by Tzu-Peng Huang. Chen still made into the roster for the 2019 Premier 12. He pitched 3 games, allowed a run and got a win against Australia. He still struggled in 2020, when he recorded a 5.37 ERA with 12 saves. Yao-Lin Wang replaced Chen to become the closer in the second half of the season. The Monkeys still named Chen as their closer on the beginning of the 2021 season, but Bradin Hagens replaced him after the All-Star Game. Chen collected 10 holds and 14 saves with a 2.47 ERA this year. Chen was named the setup man of the team in 2022, and he notched a league-leading 26 saves with an excellent 1.77 ERA. He became the first player to get 100 career holds and 100 saves, which he did on July 10. He allowed 2 runs in a inning in the 2022 Taiwan Series, and the Monkeys were swept by the Brothers.

Chen represented Taiwan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He pitched a inning against Italy, giving up singles by Nicky Lopez and David Fletcher, but didn't allow any runs. Andrys Perez of Cuba singled off him after he retired Yurisbel Gracial in the last game of Taiwan, but Chen then forced Yadir Drake to ground into a double play to complete his work. On April 27, Chen broke the all-time career holds record held by Chien-San Kao with 119 holds. He ended up collecting 9 holds with a 3.90 ERA in 37 games in 2023.

Chen throws a slider, sinker, forkball, changeup and fastball (peak 95 mph).

Sources[edit]

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