Wei-Yin Chen strikes out 12 to notch ninth win-台灣之光-中央社即時新聞 CNA-NEWS.COM

Wei-Yin Chen strikes out 12 to notch ninth win

Baltimore, July 29 (CNA) Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Yin Chen of the Baltimore Orioles had one of the most impressive outings of his rookie major league season Sunday, striking out 12 in his team's 6-1 victory over the Oakland A's.

Chen also broke two major league records for Taiwanese pitchers previously set by Chien-Ming Wang when he pitched for the New York Yankees.

Chen's nine wins are the most for a rookie Taiwanese pitcher, breaking Wang's mark of eight in 2005, and his 12 strikeouts in a game surpassed Wang's previous high of 10 set in 2007.

"First of all, I think my fastball located really well today," Chen was quoted as saying on MLB.com through an interpreter. "I think it was down. My breaking ball and offspeed pitch was good. Everything was working today."

The Kaohsiung-native, who threw 75 of his 108 pitches for strikes in 5 2/3 innings, struck out the side in the first and fourth innings and kept the A's lineup off balance with a mix of fastballs, sliders and curveballs.

The lefthander said he was not aware of his record-breaking start until walking off the mound when his manager and interpreter congratulated him on the achievement.

Asked how he felt when the crowd gave him a standing ovation for setting the strikeout record for Taiwanese pitchers, Chen said he had no idea what the applause was all about.

"I focused more on my pitches and didn't notice how many strikeouts I threw," he said in an interview with Taiwanese media.

He jokingly said he felt "annoyed" seeing opposing hitters walking constantly between the batter's box and the dugout because he simply wanted to get them out as quickly as possible and do well for the team.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he was happy to see Chen succeed.

"He's been a pleasure to be around, and I like to see good things happen to people who go about their business the way he does," Showalter was quoted on MLB.com.

In addition to Chen's good outing, the Orioles' offense finally got untracked, scoring four runs in the third and one each in the fifth and sixth to give Chen plenty of run support and keep Baltimore from being swept in the three-game series.

Despite his record-breaking day, Chen would said he would prefer to strike out fewer hitters to keep his pitch count down and throw more innings, which he felt would be the best way he could help the Orioles win.

"It's just my first year...I don't expect to break all the records because there are too many," he said. "I only hope to have a quality outing when I start. The result is not only because of me but a credit to the whole team.

"As long as I throw well, the team has a better chance to win," he said.

(By Lin Shu-yuan, Lin Hung-han and Nell Shen) enditem/ls