Robert William Chouinard (born May 1, 1972) is a Filipino-American former

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right-handed

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. He was the first person born in the Philippines to play Major League Baseball since Claudio Manela in 1925 (and the first to play after integration). Chouinard played high school baseball at Forest Grove High School in

Forest Grove, Oregon Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland, Oregon, Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a commuter town in the Portland metro area . Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in ...

. Drafted by the

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in the fifth round of the 1990 MLB amateur draft, Chouinard made his Major League Baseball debut with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

on May 26, 1996, and appeared in his final major league game on September 9, 2001, with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. He was traded from the Orioles to the Athletics along with Allen Plaster on January 15, 1993, for

Harold Baines Harold Douglas Baines (born March 15, 1959) is an American former designated hitter and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for five American League (AL) teams from 1980 to 2001, and is best known for his three stints with the Chi ...

. Chouinard was arrested on

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in 1999 following an incident in which he held a loaded gun to his wife's head and made her beg for her life. In 2000, Chouinard pleaded guilty to

aggravated assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result ...

and was sentenced to four increments of three-month prison terms during baseball's offseasons. He was allowed 42 hours to work out at

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and visit with his family every week. He was also ordered to make a $25,000 donation to a

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charity and appear in ten

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1972 births American baseball players of Filipino descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada American people convicted of assault American sportspeople convicted of crimes Arizona Diamondbacks players Bridgeport Bluefish players Colorado Rockies players Edmonton Trappers players Filipino emigrants to the United States Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Philippines Milwaukee Brewers players Oakland Athletics players People from Forest Grove, Oregon Baseball players from Washington County, Oregon Prisoners and detainees of Arizona Sportspeople from Manila Forest Grove High School alumni {{Philippines-baseball-bio-stub