AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chen Wei-yin made Taiwan proud at the official signing ceremony for his new contract at the Sherwood Taipei on Monday as he inked a three-year deal with Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles to begin another chapter in his baseball career.
The 26-year-old lefty starter, born in Greater Kaohsiung, conquered Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball by becoming one of its premier starters after an eight-year stint with the Chunichi Dragons.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to join some of the best baseball players in the world in a playing environment that is second to none,” Chen said at the ceremony.
He will soon face the top hitters in the big leagues in an Orioles uniform and he hopes to showcase his repertoire of pitches and a strong will to win that helped him excel in Japan.
Showing respect, the Orioles sent executive director of international baseball Ray Poitevint to represent the club as they signed their first Taiwanese player, in an effort to not only strengthen their starting rotation, but also boost the club’s presence and appeal in Asia.
“We’ve been following him [Chen] for the past three years and it wasn’t until he declared his free agency that we were able to pursue him,” Poitevint was quoted as saying. “He is undoubtedly one of the top pitchers in the game.”
While the terms of his contract with the Orioles are not the most lucrative financially as he was pursued by at least a half-dozen teams, netting the left-hander less than US$3.5 million in his first two seasons, Chen and his agent both feel that Baltimore would be the best place to begin his career in the US, given that there is less pressure to shine immediately for a team that is not expected to be in a title hunt.
Playing in the same division as perennial powerhouses the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will also give Chen much more exposure in the media.
Several of Japan’s top players have gone to a big-market team and fallen short of their billing in the past few seasons, which is precisely what Chen would like to avoid.
One thing that Chen will have to overcome quickly is the amount of time between starts, as pitchers typically have four days of rest in the US as opposed to six days of rest between games in Japan.
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