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 anoth ...

as Mayaw Ciru; born July 13, 1983) is a Taiwanese professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

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 20 ...

(CPBL).

Professional career

Chen signed with the

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

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, 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 an American former right-handed professional baseball pitcher. Towers stands at tall, and weighs . Professional career Baltimore Orioles Towers was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 15th rou ...

and suffered a mild concussion. On November 12, , Chen was claimed off waivers by 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 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 Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

. 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

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 ...

. 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.

International career

In , he competed in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

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 the ...

, ranked 3rd in most doubles hit, and hit the first

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

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 League- ...

during the All-Star break in 2006, with another Taiwanese player Chin-Lung Hu. 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 Stadium ...

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 2003 Baseball World Cup players 2005 Baseball World Cup players 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 players Living people Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Midland RockHounds players Sportspeople 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 Amis people {{taiwan-baseball-bio-stub