Kuo Hong-Chih
By Staff
Northwest Asian Weekly
On March 19, the Seattle Mariners announced that it was releasing Kuo Hong-Chih, 30, a left-handed Taiwanese relief pitcher. The reason cited was poor performance during spring training and also to make room for others on the 40-man roster, according to the Mariners’ website.
“I think he just needs more time,” said manager Eric Wedge on the team’s website. “You’d see times when he’d find it, but he just wasn’t able to be consistent with it. And with where we are in camp and the decisions we have to make, he just wasn’t going to be part of the puzzle initially.”
Kuo was signed by the Mariners on Feb. 6 for a one-year non-guaranteed deal.
Kuo made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2005, with the Colorado Rockies. He was the fourth MLB player from Taiwan.
The 2010 season saw Kuo on the Dodgers and elected to the All-Star team. His 1.20 earned-run average was the lowest for a reliever in team history, according to the LA Times. His 2011 salary was $2.725 million, according to espn.go.com.
However, in 2011, his game lagged. An anxiety disorder reportedly ruined his control.
Kuo has had significant elbow issues since the start of his professional career. He recently underwent his fifth elbow surgery in October.
Kuo was born in Tainan City, Taiwan. (end)