250px|thumb|Chen pitching for the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers in ]]
Bruce Kastulo Chen (born June 19, 1977) is a Panamanian former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland Indians, from to .
Background
Chen was born in Panama to José and Luisa Chen. He is of Chinese descent. His paternal grandfather, Kuen Chin Chan Lee, joined his brothers and other relatives in Panama at age nine during the Chinese Civil War. Chen's maternal grandmother, Kuen Yin Liu de Laffo, was born in Panama, but her family had to return to China after fire destroyed their home. After years of hard labor, she returned to Panama at age 24. Both of Chen's grandparents have died. In a 2006 article in The Washington Post, Chen said that he would like to visit China to better understand his roots.
Chen has a brother, Kastulo, and a sister, Karla. Chen attended the Panamerican Institute in Panama City.
Middle career
The Phillies traded him to the New York Mets on July 27, 2001, for Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell. He made 11 starts (and 1 relief appearance) for the Mets and was 3–2 with a 4.61 ERA, and started the first game played by the Mets after the September 11 attacks versus the Braves at Shea Stadium on September 21. Chen was traded again on April 5, 2002, to the Montreal Expos (with Luis Figueroa, Saul Rivera and Dicky Gonzalez) for Phil Seibel, Scott Strickland and Matt Watson. He made 15 appearances (4 starts) for the Expos and was 2–3 with a 6.99 ERA.
He was traded for the fourth time, on June 14, 2002, to the Cincinnati Reds for Jim Brower. He only made 1 start for the Reds and appeared in relief 39 times, with a 4.31 ERA. Released by the Reds, he was signed as a free agent by the Houston Astros on March 14, 2003. He appeared in only 11 games and had an ERA of 6.00 with the Astros. The Boston Red Sox selected him off waivers from the Astros on May 7, 2003. He appeared in 5 games for the Red Sox, with 2 starts and had a 5.11 ERA.
He signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 26, 2003. He made 3 starts in AAA with the Syracuse SkyChiefs. He was sent to the Baltimore Orioles on May 1, 2004. He added a changeup to his repertoire of pitches, which includes an 87–90 mph fastball, and a slow 12–6 curveball.
Chen played for the Panamanian team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. On August 6, 2009, Chen won his first major league game since October 2, 2005.
Chen re-signed a minor league contract with the Royals on December 11, 2009. On April 26, 2010, he earned his first MLB save, in a 3–1 Royals victory over the Seattle Mariners. He threw seven perfect innings before allowing a hit on July 3, 2010, against the Los Angeles Angels. On October 1, 2010, in his last start of the season, Chen threw a two-hit shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out seven and only walking two. It was the first shutout he threw in his Major League career. He finished the season with a 12–7 record, and an ERA of 4.17.
Bruce had a productive 2011 season, posting a 12–8 record with a 3.77 ERA. On November 23, 2011, Chen agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Royals. In 2012, Chen finished with an 11–14 record and posted an ERA of 5.07. Despite the regression, Chen threw 191.2 innings (2nd highest career total) and had a career high 140 strikeouts. Even though Panama did not qualify for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Chen was contacted by Team China about the possibility of playing for them in the Classic.
He returned to the Royals for the 2014 season, agreeing to a one-year contract. On July 22, he tied Mariano Rivera for most wins earned by a Panamanian-born player with 82. He was designated for assignment on August 29, 2014, and released on September 5.
Indians
On February 16, 2015, he agreed to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians purchased his contract and added him to the active roster on May 9. After earning a 12.79 ERA in innings, Chen was designated for assignment on May 16. He announced his retirement from baseball two days later.
Chen came out of retirement to pitch for Team China in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Post-playing career
Following his retirement, Chen worked as a Cultural Development Adviser for the Cleveland Indians organization. As of November 25, 2017, he was no longer with the Indians, and had moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization to serve as their Latin America Field Coordinator.
Personal
Chen and his wife Mary have three daughters. Chen is the only alumnus of the Panamerican Institute to make the major leagues. He has studied civil engineering during the baseball off-season at Georgia Tech.