Extra Innings with Bruce Chen
by Mike Ashmore
September 16, 2005

What would you say is your best moment in baseball?

"Last year, when I got called up. That was my first time getting called up in over a year, and I felt like it was my second chance. So that was my most memorable moment."

How about your worst moment?

"When I got released by the Cincinnati Reds in Spring Training. That was my first time being released, and I was down on myself."

Who's the most talented player you've ever played with?

"Andruw Jones. He has power, he can hit, he can run and he can field."

Growing up in Panama, was playing in the Major Leagues ever something you thought about or even knew about at that time?

"No, when I was young, I didn't focus on that all that much. We had players; Juan Berenguer and Roberto Kelly, but they didn't focus on them or the Major Leagues that much. As I was growing up, at like 14, 15, 16 years old, they started focusing on it more because we had other players like Mariano Rivera and Ramiro Mendoza in the big leagues playing for the Yankees. That kind of opened our eyes."

The Braves called you up in September of 1998. How did you find out you were going up?

"I was in the lobby of the hotel, and I was calling my parents because it was a day off. The pitching coach came out and said congratulations. I asked him why and he said, 'You don't know? You're getting called up, go back to your room so the trainer can call you.'"

You made your big league debut on September 7, 1998 against the Mets at Shea Stadium. What do you remember most about that game and how nervous were you?

"I remember I was very nervous. I made the start in place of Denny Neagle, he got hurt, so they only told me a couple hours before the game. The thing I remember the most was it was in the third inning and was pitching, and they announced that Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run and the whole stadium stood up and cheered. But I was like, 'Oh my God, there's 40,000 people here.'"

So how do you think finding out you were pitching that close to the game affected you?

"I don't know, I was young and I was ready to go. I was there for a week, and I didn't pitch for the whole time, so when they told me I was very excited. But, on the other hand, I was also nervous because it was also my Major League debut."

You played for Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone with Atlanta, what was your experience like with them?

"They were very nice people. Bobby Cox is a very good manager, and when I was there, I was young and I didn't know much about managers. And Leo helped me out a lot when I was over there. He kind of laid out the path for my career and helped me out a lot, but I wasn't able to use a lot of the information because I wasn't ready for a lot of the things he was talking to me about. But Bobby Cox was great, he always told me my role and let me know what I was going to be doing."

This is your first full season in the big leagues since 2002. What's it been like just knowing you're going to be on a big league roster for a full year again?

"It feels great. I haven't been with one team for a full year in a season. If you have a bad outing, you know you're going to be able to go back out there and not thinking about being sent down or traded or being sent somewhere else. It eases your mind, you can go out there and just pitch and not think about putting up numbers so you can stay in the big leagues."

You pitched on the "Cowboy Up" Red Sox team from 2003. What was it like being a part of a team like that?

"It felt good. I was only there for a month, but I really enjoyed my stay there. The city was really anxious to win a championship and they had a real good team. I'm glad that I was a part of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, but unfortunately they didn't win that year, they won the next year. It would have been nice to get a ring"

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