Liu Kai (simplified Chinese: 刘恺; traditional Chinese: 劉愷; pinyin: Líu Kǎi; born 11 October 1987 in Tianjin, China[1]) is a left-handed pitcher, formerly of the New York Yankees organization. Liu was later released by the New York Yankees minor league system, along with his Chinese teammate Zhang Zhenwang.[citation needed]
Liu began playing organized baseball at the age of 12, when he was enrolled in a sports school in China. At age 16, he became a professional baseball player when he began playing for the Guangdong Leopards of the China Baseball League. He has also participated as a member of the People's Republic of China National Team.[2]
Liu's best pitch is his fastball, topping out at 84 miles per hour.[3]
On June 18, 2007, became the first baseball player born in the People's Republic of China to sign a Major League Baseball contract with the prior permission of the China Baseball Association, along with Zhang Zhenwang, who also signed with the Yankees.[4] The first baseball player born in the People's Republic of China to sign with a Major League Baseball club was pitcher Wang Chao, who signed with the Seattle Mariners on August 9, 2001.
References
edit- ^ Athlete Biography - The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 8-24, 2008
- ^ Yankees' 84-MPH Pitcher May Spur Baseball Renaissance in China Cheng, Wing-Gar and Grant Clark, Bloomberg Asia, July 18, 2007
- ^ Yankees' 84-MPH Pitcher May Spur Baseball Renaissance in China, Cheng, Wing-Gar and Grant Clark, Bloomberg Asia, July 18, 2007
- ^ Yankees sign two Chinese prospects
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