Well-traveled Chen happy to hit Cincinnati

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Sunday, June 16, 2002

Well-traveled Chen happy to hit Cincinnati

By John Erardi, jerardi@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bruce Chen, a second-generation Chinese born in Panama, likes his rice and beans with some Chinese vegetables mixed in, and his fried rice with some Panamanian fish mixed in.

Now, to work some three-way chili into his diet.

Chen, a left-handed pitcher, arrived Saturday in the Reds clubhouse, a day after he'd been traded from the Expos for Reds long reliever Jim Brower. Chen, who began the season with the Mets, was traded to the Expos on April 5 and joined them in Cincinnati — in the visiting clubhouse, of course.

“I wish I could have come straight over here then,” Chen said.

He said he is “very excited” to be joining a first-place team.

“I've always been pretty good at adapting into different cultures,” he said. “Coming to the United States didn't bother me. Going to Montreal, with the different language and different currency didn't bother me. I've never been used to just one thing.”

The international language — pitching — is the one that Reds pitching coach Don Gullett has already begun speaking to Chen. The Reds are hoping Gullett can work some more of the magic as he's done in the past.

The key to that lock didn't exist in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York or Montreal, Chen's previous stops. That's a lot of stops for a 25-year-old. He said he hopes the fourth trade is the charm. He's heard of Gullett's reputation for developing projects.

“I'm looking forward to working with him,” Chen said. “I'm open-minded. At times, I've pitched well, but I haven't been consistent. When I'm throwing the ball good, I feel good. But when I'm not throwing the ball good, I don't know how to get it back. It takes me a long time to get it back.”

Chen, who began his pro career in the Atlanta organization, was in the big leagues at 21, going 2-0 with 17strikeouts in 20 innings in '98. He was off-and-on there in '99 (2-2, 5.47 ERA), but returned in 2000 to go 4-0, with a 2.50 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.

There's never been a lot of questions about his arm, but rather his consistency, and that got him dealt to Philadelphia (3-4, 3.63 ERA in 2000; 4-5, 5.00 ERA last year) and the Mets (3-2, 4.68 ERA last year).

“I'm young, but I don't want to use that as an excuse,” Chen said. “Getting to the big leagues at a young age was good, and I feel like I've been around a long time, but I'm anxious to get established.”

His maternal grandparents were from China. They came to Panama to escape Communism. They settled in Panama, because there is a large Chinese community there, formed back in the days of the building of the Panama Canal. His paternal grandmother is Panamian.

In Panama, Juan Berenguer and Roberto Kelly have long been idols, but Chen found himself gravitating toward Dwight Gooden, who was starring for the Mets as a teen-ager just as Chen was getting into baseball. He said baseball is the national sport in Panama, with soccer a close second.

“We get a lot of baseball on TV in Panama,” Chen said. “Atlanta is good because of WTBS. Philadelphia was regional, so we didn't get that. The Mets were good because of Fox. Montreal, we couldn't get. What is Cincinnati?”

Told the games are on Fox Sports Net, Chen figured something could be worked out in Panama, because of the Fox name.

“If not, we can always go back to DirecTV,” he said.

He knows the reception will be good.

But he also knows if the results aren't good, it won't matter.

He doesn't want the channel-changer to be getting a workout back home. Which is why he's anxious to get started with Gullett.

“I can't wait,” he said.

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