By Steve Ginsburg
BALTIMORE, April 10 (Reuters) – Baltimore Orioles southpaw
Chen Wei-yin opened his Major League Baseball career with a
solid debut, giving up two earned runs and seven hits to the New
York Yankees over five-plus innings in a narrow home defeat on
Tuesday.
The Taiwanese rookie with impressive credentials from
Japan’s Central League was pulled from the game with two outs in
the sixth with the Orioles and the defending AL East champions
locked at 4-4.
New York went on to win the game 5-4 in 12 innings with
Orioles relief pitcher Pedro Strop taking the loss.
“This is a new experience to me,” Chen, the first player
born in Taiwan to play for the Orioles, said through an
interpreter.
“I pitched in Japan before, but this is totally new. The New
York Yankees are a real tough lineup and a really good team, but
tonight I realised our team is better.”
Chen, who struck out six while walking just one, was the
victim of a costly error by third baseman Mark Reynolds in the
sixth that opened the door for two unearned runs.
He threw 101 pitches, 59 of them strikes before 24,659 at
Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
“If he pitches like he did tonight, he’ll have a lot of
success,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “His change-up
was a good pitch for him tonight. He did a lot of different
things with the baseball.
“Once he got the ball down, he makes quality pitches. He’ll
get people out in America, Japan or Taiwan. He’s got a good arm,
good arm action on all his pitches. So far, so good.”
Up to two million people were expected to watch Chen’s debut
on television in Taiwan, which was carried live at 7 a.m. on
three networks, the Orioles said, adding that 15 members of the
media from nine Taiwanese outlets attended the game.
Chen, 26, was rocked early on a chilly night in Baltimore
when Yankees lead-off hitter Derek Jeter belted a 3-1 pitch over
the centerfield wall, the 25th time in his career the 12-time
All-Star opened the game with a home run.
Nick Swisher followed Jeter’s homer with a double to center
but Chen, who also hit Alex Rodriguez with a pitch later in the
inning, then settled down.
“To be honest with you guys, this is my first major league
outing,” Chen conceded to reporters. “I was so nervous. But
after the first inning, everything was fine for me.”
Over five seasons with the Central League’s Dragons, Chen
had a 36-30 record with a 2.59 ERA, and in 2009 posted a
league-leading 1.54 earned run average.
In January, the Orioles signed Chen to a three-year contract
with a club option for 2015.
Showalter said Chen “pitched well, especially after the way
things started”.
“You can tell one thing, he’s got some toughness about him,”
Showalter added. “He got better as the game went on, against
obviously a very potent lineup. He presented himself real well.
I was proud of him.
“A lot of things could have gotten away from him, but he
handled himself well. Pretty impressive, a 26-year-old man
making his debut in that environment.”
(Editing by John O’Brien)
