Chen Yung-chi (; known in

Amis language Amis ( or ) is a Formosan language of the Amis (or Ami), an indigenous people living along the east coast of Taiwan. Currently the largest of the Formosan languages, it is spoken from Hualien in the north to Taitung in the south, with another ...

as Mayaw Ciru; born 13 July 1983 in

Taitung County Taitung County (; Mandarin pinyin: ''Táidōng Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tâi-tang-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Thòi-tûng-yen''; Paiwan: ''Valangaw'';lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest county in Taiwan, located primarily on the island' ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

) is a Taiwanese professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the

Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2 ...

(CPBL).

Professional career

Chen signed with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

organization as an international free agent on January 15, 2004. In April 2007, while playing for the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

, Chen underwent surgery on his left shoulder and missed the rest of the season. On November 21, 2007, the Mariners selected Chen's contract to the 40-man roster. On April 13, 2008, Chen was hit in the head by

Josh Towers Joshua Eric Towers (born February 26, 1977) is a former right-handed professional baseball pitcher. Towers stands at 6 ft 1 in tall, and weighs 188 lb. Professional career Baltimore Orioles Towers was drafted by the Baltimore Orio ...

and suffered a mild concussion. On November 12, , Chen was claimed off waivers by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

. On March 6, 2009, Chen was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He was assigned to the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whi ...

to begin the season and was later promoted to the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

. Chen began 2010 in Midland but was released on June 2, 2010. On June 24, 2010, Chen signed a minor league contract with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

organization and was assigned to the Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

. On November 6, 2010, Chen elected free agency. On November 23, 2010, after entering the

draft and being drafted by the

, Chen signed with the Lions. Chen has played for the Lions in every season from 2011 to 2020.

International career

In , he competed in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

for

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

, ranked 3rd in most doubles hit, and hit the first grand slam of WBC (Taiwan vs. China). He played in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National Le ...

during the All-Star break in 2006, with another Taiwanese player

Chin-Lung Hu Chin-Lung Hu (born February 2, 1984, Chinese 胡金龍 ''Hú Jīnlóng'') is a Taiwanese professional baseball shortstop for the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He previously played in Major League Baseball (M ...

. After the season ended, he competed in the

2006 Intercontinental Cup The 2006 IBAF Intercontinental Cup was held in Taichung, Taiwan from November 9 through the 19th. Eight countries contested the tournament, which was played at Taichung Baseball Field and the newly built Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadiu ...

and Baseball games of 2006 Asian Games. He won the best second baseman award of 2006 Intercontinental Cup, and gold medal of Asian Games.

External links

References

1983 births 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players 2017 World Baseball Classic players Altoona Curve players Arizona League Athletics players Arizona League Mariners players Asian Games gold medalists for Chinese Taipei Asian Games medalists in baseball Asian Games silver medalists for Chinese Taipei Baseball players at the 2010 Asian Games Baseball players at the 2006 Asian Games Everett AquaSox players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Living people Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Midland RockHounds players People from Taitung County Peoria Javelinas players Sacramento River Cats players San Antonio Missions players Taiwanese expatriate baseball players in the United States Tacoma Rainiers players Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players {{taiwan-baseball-bio-stub