Bruce Kastulo Chen (born June 19, 1977) is a Panamanian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians from 1998 to 2015.
Background
Chen was born in Panama to José and Luisa Chen. He is of Chinese descent. His paternal grandfather, Kuen Chin Chan Lee, joined his brothers and other relatives in Panama at age nine during the Chinese Civil War. Chen’s maternal grandmother, Kuen Yin Liu de Laffo, was born in Panama, but her family had to return to China after fire destroyed their home. After years of hard labor, she returned to Panama at age 24. Both of Chen’s grandparents have died. In a 2006 article in The Washington Post, Chen said that he would like to visit China to better understand his roots.
Chen has a brother, Kastulo, and a sister, Karla. Chen attended Panamerican Institute in Panama City.
Career
Early career
Braves
Chen signed with the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent on July 1, 1993. He made the South Atlantic League All-Star team in 1997 when he went 12-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 28 starts for the Macon Braves. In 1998 he made 23 starts for the Greenville Braves and was 13-7 with a 3.29 ERA. He was selected by the Southern League as an All-Star and the Most Outstanding Pitcher. He was also a Double-A All-Star, Baseball America minor league All-Star and the Braves minor league pitcher of the year.
He made his MLB debut with the Braves on September 7, 1998 against the New York Mets. He started the game but only lasted three innings while allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. He picked up his first win, when he went seven innings on September 12 against the Florida Marlins. He remained with the Braves through mid-2000, pitching in 42 games (starting 11) and was 8-2 with a 4.28 ERA.
Summary
| Bruce Chen | |||
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Chen with the Kansas City Royals
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 19, 1977 Panama City, Panama |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 7, 1998, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 15, 2015, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 82–81 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.62 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,140 | ||
| Teams | |||
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