CPBL: Brothers’ Chen-Hung Breaks Warm-Up Record with Fastball

Chen-hao Chen, a pitcher for the Chin-Trust Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), reached a velocity of 150 kilometers per hour (approximately 93 miles per hour) during a March 24 exhibition game against the Tai-Steel Eagles, marking the first time he has achieved that speed in a public spring training match. This milestone positions him to potentially break his career-best speed record during the upcoming season.

Prior to Chen’s performance, only Brothers’ foreign pitchers Logan Darnell and Lick had reached 150 km/h in spring training games. On the same day as Chen’s achievement, teammate Zheng Hao-jun also hit 150 km/h during a starting pitching appearance. This surge in velocity among Brothers pitchers has broken the previous spring training record of 147 km/h, according to reports.

Chen has appeared in four exhibition games, pitching four innings with a 2.25 earned run average. His career-high velocity remains at 151 km/h, achieved two years ago. The recent spring training performance suggests he is on track to surpass that personal best when the regular season begins.

The Chin-Trust Brothers have invested significantly in developing their domestic pitching talent during the offseason. A portion of their pitchers underwent a 1.5-month training program at a facility in Florida, whereas others received instruction from renowned Japanese pitching coach Kudo Kimiyasu. Kudo reportedly praised Chen’s progress during spring training.

The exhibition game took place at the Asia Pacific Baseball Stadium. While Chen entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-2 lead, he allowed a tying sacrifice fly by Chen Wei-xiang, resulting in a 3-3 draw. He was credited with a blown save in the outing.