Sha Tzu-chen
{{short description|Taiwanese baseball player (born 2003)}}
{{family name hatnote|Sha|lang=Taiwanese}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name=Sha Tzu-chen
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| position=Pitcher
| bats=Right
| throws=Right
| team=Athletics
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| birth_date={{birth date and age|df=y|2003|10|15}}
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{{infobox Chinese
|c={{linktext|沙|子|宸}}
|p=Shā Zǐchén
|w=Sha1 Tzu3-chen2
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Sha Tzu-chen (born 15 October 2003) is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher.
Amateur career
At {{ill|Taipei Municipal Guangfu Elementary School|zh|臺北市信義區光復國民小學|lt=Guangfu Elementary School}} in Taipei, Sha played five-a-side football. He was not formally introduced to baseball until fifth grade, when his father, acting on a friend's suggestion, asked him and his younger brother if they would like to form a team.{{cite news |title=專訪沙子宸 {{!}} 沒打過國家隊的19歲大一生, 如何打進美國職棒? |url=https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5124723 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=CommonWealth Magazine |date=16 February 2023 |language=zh}} Sha focused on baseball while a student of {{ill|Changhua Arts High School|zh|彰化縣立彰化藝術高級中學}}.{{cite news |last1=Lockard |first1=Melissa |title=A's sign Tzu-Chen Sha, add another upside arm to their 2023 international class |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4198823/2023/02/14/oakland-athletics-tzu-chen-sha/ |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=The Athletic |date=14 February 2023}}
International career
Sha was a member of the Chinese Taipei national baseball team during the 2024 U-23 Baseball World Cup, facing South Korea and Nicaragua.{{cite news |last1=楊 |first1=舒帆 |title=台灣首位非科班出身登一級國際賽!沙子宸150速球寫歷史可惜傷退 |url=https://sports.ettoday.net/news/2913591 |access-date=22 February 2025 |publisher=ETToday |date=22 February 2025 |language=zh}} He was selected to the national team roster for the World Baseball Classic 2025 Qualifiers,{{cite news |last1=Yang |first1=Chi-fang |last2=Kao |first2=Evelyn |title=National baseball team opens training for WBC qualifiers |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sports/202502030018 |access-date=22 February 2025 |agency=Central News Agency |date=3 February 2025}} Republished as: {{cite news |title=Taiwan's WBC roster finalized |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2025/02/05/2003831345 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Taipei Times |date=5 February 2025}} and served as the youngest member of the starting rotation.{{cite news |last1=劉 |first1=曉欣 |title=經典賽》沙子宸今抗南非 彰化人要用爆米花力挺原因曝光 |url=https://sports.ltn.com.tw/news/breakingnews/4959397 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Liberty Times |date=22 February 2025}} Sha pitched {{frac|2|2|3}} innings against South Africa, leaving to treat a cramp in his right foot.{{cite news |last1=Chao |first1=Yen-hsiang |title=BASEBALL/Taiwan keeps WBC hopes alive with 9-1 win over South Africa |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sports/202502220012 |access-date=22 February 2025 |agency=Central News Agency |date=22 February 2025}} Republished as: {{cite news |title=Taiwan keeps WBC hopes alive with 9-1 win over South Africa |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2025/02/23/2003832349 |access-date=23 February 2025 |work=Taipei Times |date=23 February 2025}}{{cite news |title=經典賽/21歲沙子宸抗南非!昔「社區棒球出身」旅美飆速球 |url=https://tw.sports.yahoo.com/news/%E7%B6%93%E5%85%B8%E8%B3%BD-21%E6%AD%B2%E6%B2%99%E5%AD%90%E5%AE%B8%E6%8A%97%E5%8D%97%E9%9D%9E-%E6%98%94-%E7%A4%BE%E5%8D%80%E6%A3%92%E7%90%83%E5%87%BA%E8%BA%AB-%E6%97%85%E7%BE%8E%E9%A3%86%E9%80%9F%E7%90%83-075557869.html |agency=FTV News |publisher=Yahoo! Taiwan |date=22 February 2025 |language=zh}}
Professional career
Sha signed with the Oakland Athletics in February 2023 as an international free agent out of the National Taiwan Sport University, and attended the team's inaugural Taiwan Heritage Day later that year.{{cite news |title=Cheerleaders, VP video speech open Oakland A's Taiwan Day event |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sports/202305280008 |access-date=22 February 2025 |agency=Central News Agency |date=28 May 2023}} Republished as: {{cite news |title=Rakuten Girls perform at A's Taiwan day |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/05/29/2003800601 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Taipei Times |date=29 May 2023}} Sha split 2023 with the Arizona Complex League Athletics and the Stockton Ports. He began the 2024 season on the Ports' Opening Day roster,{{cite news |title=Ports Release 2024 Roster |url=https://www.milb.com/stockton/news/ports-release-2024-roster |access-date=23 February 2025 |publisher=MILB.com |date=2 April 2024}} making appearances as a starter and reliever while recording a 2–6 win–loss record and 6.33 ERA.{{cite news |last1=楊 |first1=啟芳 |title=沙子宸不滿意本季自己表現 盼利用休賽季調整 |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aspt/202409260207.aspx |access-date=24 February 2025 |agency=Central News Agency |date=24 September 2024}} Sha was reassigned to Stockton at the start of the 2025 season.{{cite news |title=STOCKTON PORTS ANNOUNCE 2025 ROSTER |url=https://www.milb.com/stockton/news/stockton-ports-announce-2025-roster |access-date=8 April 2025 |publisher=MILB.com |date=2 April 2025}} In the first appearance of his season, Sha took part in a combined no-hitter, striking out six batters over three innings of relief.{{cite news |last1=Chao |first1=Yen-hsiang |last2=Lin |first2=Hans |title=BASEBALL/Taiwan's Sha whiffs six as part of no-hitter in season debut |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sports/202504070016 |access-date=8 April 2025 |agency=Central News Agency |date=7 April 2025}} Republished as: {{cite news |title=Sha whiffs six as part of no-hitter in season debut |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2025/04/08/2003834812 |access-date=8 April 2025 |work=Taipei Times |date=8 April 2025}}{{cite news |title=Three Ports Pitchers Combine for No Hitter of Frenso |url=https://www.milb.com/stockton/news/three-ports-pitchers-combine-for-no-hitter-of-frenso |access-date=8 April 2025 |publisher=MILB.com |date=6 April 2025}}
Pitching style
Sha set a career high in pitch speed (152 kilometers per hour) during the World Baseball Classic 2025 Qualifiers.{{cite news |last1=謝 |first1=靜雯 |title=沙子宸環顧大巨蛋後享受比賽 WBCQ收穫新賽季動力 |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aspt/202502230152.aspx |access-date=24 February 2025 |agency=Central News Agency |date=23 February 2025 |language=zh}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{baseballstats|mlb=809223|fangraphs=sa3021551|brm=sha---000tzu|br=}}
- {{WikiBaseball|沙子宸}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sha, Tzu-chen}}
Category:21st-century Taiwanese sportsmen
Category:Baseball players from Taipei
Category:Taiwanese expatriate baseball players in the United States
Category:Stockton Ports players