Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) Taiwanese pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng has been called up to the U.S. baseball majors and is scheduled to make his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut Thursday, the Chicago Cubs announced Wednesday.
The 22-year-old earned the promotion after spending three years in the minor leagues, making him the 14th Taiwanese player to appear in the major leagues, and the 10th pitcher. He is also the fifth Taiwanese player to earn the promotion this season.
Tseng will replace Mike Montgomery, who will go back to the bullpen, according to an article released on the Cubs' official website.
The Kaohsiung-native was named the Cubs' minor league pitcher of the year, with a combined 13-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 24 starts between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.
This is Tseng's second such award after earning the honor in 2014, his first professional season.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon personally gave the good news to the Taiwanese pitcher, according to the article.
"Jen-Ho comes into town to accept an award. I sat down with him in my office. I said `I guess you're in town to accept an award,'" Maddon was quoted in the article as saying. "How about you start tomorrow night's game instead?" He didn't even blanch. His interpreter was more taken by the situation than Jen-Ho," he added.
Tseng -- ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Cubs' No. 13 prospect -- was signed as a non-drafted free agent in July 2013. He holds a career 32-20 record and a 3.17 ERA in 87 games and 85 starts, across four seasons in the Cubs' system.
Tseng made the name that ultimately earned him a contract with the Cubs after he was chosen as the youngest member of Taiwan's national team in 2013 World Baseball Classic games. The fireballer is known for his fastball that regularly exceeds 145 kilometers per hour.
