Name (Japanese): チェン・ウェイン
Name (Chinese): 陳 偉殷
Date of Birth: July 21, 1985
Hometown: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
High School: Kao-Yuan Vocational High School of Technology & Commerce (Taiwan)
University: National Taiwan Sport University
Family Status: Married, two sons (?)
Height: 183 cm (6’0″)
Weight: 90 kg (198 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Right
Wore #: 14
Originally signed by: Chunichi Dragons, 2003
NPB Debut on: April 3, 2005, vs. Yokohama Baystars (2 IP 5 H 2 BB 3 K 4 ER)
MLB Teams: Baltimore Orioles (2012-15), Miami Marlins (2016-19)
Signed with Hanshin on: December 22, 2020
Made Hanshin Debut on: April 29, 2021 @ Dragons (6 IP 5 H 1 R 4 K, W)
Warm-Up Song 2022: Jay Chou – Meng Xiang Qi Dong
Achievements & Awards: CL ERA Title (2009), CL Pitcher of the Month (August 2009)
NPB Career Stats:
| Yr | Team | ERA | GP | GS | CG | SO | No BB | GC | W | L | HLD | HP | SV | W% | IP | BF | H | HR | K | K/9 | BB | HBP | WP | BK | R | ER | AVG vs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Dragons | 6.05 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 19.1 | 92 | 29 | 3 | 20 | 9.31 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 13 | .345 |
| 2008 | Dragons | 2.90 | 39 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 0 | .538 | 114.2 | 474 | 101 | 7 | 107 | 8.40 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 37 | .240 |
| 2009 | Dragons | 1.54 | 24 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | 164 | 644 | 113 | 10 | 146 | 8.01 | 40 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 28 | .193 |
| 2010 | Dragons | 2.87 | 29 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .565 | 188 | 773 | 166 | 21 | 153 | 7.32 | 49 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 63 | 60 | .238 |
| 2011 | Dragons | 2.68 | 25 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 | 164.2 | 659 | 138 | 9 | 94 | 5.14 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 49 | .229 |
| 2020 | Marines | 2.42 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 26 | 102 | 22 | 4 | 14 | 4.85 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | .232 |
| 2021 | Tigers | 3.86 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 9.1 | 39 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 6.75 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .286 |
| NPB Career | 2.60 | 133 | 95 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 33 | 14 | 16 | 1 | .529 | 686 | 2783 | 579 | 54 | 541 | 7.10 | 166 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 221 | 198 | .230 |
Brief Biography:
Wei-Yin Chen grew up in Taiwan and draw international attention when, as a high schooler, he struck out 22 batters in a single game. Ultimately, he signed with the Chunichi Dragons at age 19 (while registered as a student at the National Taiwan Sport University. Chunichi’s scout who negotiated his signing was fellow Taiwanese Yasuaki Taiho, who had also previously spent three seasons as a player for the Hanshin Tigers (coming over in the same deal that brought catcher Akihiro Yano to the Tigers).
Chen stayed with the Dragons from 2004 through 2011, winning the ERA title in 2009 and Pitcher of the Month in August of that year. Tigers fans in particular felt his dominance, as his career 11-6 record (with a 2.99 ERA) against the Tigers can attest to. He also helped the Dragons win the CL pennant in 2010 and 2011.
Chen’s success, relatively young age, and international free-agent status earned him a contract offer from the Baltimore Orioles. His 4-year deal was worth more than $15 million. In his 4 years with the Orioles, he earned a reputation as a solid starter who could be counted on to hold down a spot in the middle of the rotation. Ultimately, he signed a five-year deal with the Miami Marlins, where injuries started to take a toll on his body and performance. The Marlins designated him for assignment after the 2019 season, but the Seattle Mariners picked him up for the 2020 season on a minor-league deal. He was granted his release in June, and signed on with the Chiba Lotte Marines in September for the remainder of the 2020 season. Despite not picking up a single win (and being hung with three losses), he recorded a clean 2.42 ERA in 26 innings of work. (Trivia: Due to the pandemic-shortened season and contractual changes, Chen was actually the highest-paid MLB player in 2020!)
This drew the attention of Hanshin scouts, and they made Chen an offer for the 2021 season that he could not refuse. Showing up to camp in 2021 under Covid-19 protocols, Chen quickly blended in with the team, communicating well with most players in Japanese, and the foreign players in English. His first start of the year on April 29 gave the team plenty of reason to be hopeful as he threw six innings of one-run ball (4 strikeouts) at Vantelin Dome against the Dragons, picking up the win and an interview on the hero’s podium. He conducted most of the interview in Japanese without an interpreter, which endeared him to the Tigers faithful immediately. Unfortunately, he only had one more start with the Tigers, the following week against the Yokohama DeNA Baystars. It did not go so well (3.1 IP 4 R), and a shoulder injury prevented him from making a return to the top squad the rest of the season.
Chen had every intention of making a complete and healthy return in 2022, but was unable to put up consistent numbers on the farm (29.2 IP, 3.03 ERA in 7 starts). The team informed him in mid-June that the likelihood of a call-up was slim, given import roster limitations. He and the team amicably parted ways on June 21, and he was removed from the team’s active roster on June 29.
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Chen’s Press Conference (February 1, 2021)
LHP Chen, RHP Alcantara Sign On for 2021 (December 23, 2020)