Robert William Chouinard (born May 1, 1972) is a Filipino-American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the first person born in the Philippines to play Major League Baseball since Claudio Manela in 1925 (and the first to play after integration).[1]

Bobby Chouinard
Pitcher
Born: (1972-05-01) May 1, 1972 (age 51)
Manila, Philippines
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 26, 1996, for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
September 9, 2001, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record11–8
Earned run average4.57
Strikeouts110
Teams

Chouinard played high school baseball at Forest Grove High School in Forest Grove, Oregon.[2][3]

Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round of the 1990 MLB amateur draft, Chouinard made his Major League Baseball debut with the Oakland Athletics on May 26, 1996, and appeared in his final major league game on September 9, 2001, with the Colorado Rockies.[4]

He was traded from the Orioles to the Athletics along with Allen Plaster on January 15, 1993, for Harold Baines. [5]

Chouinard was arrested on Christmas Day in 1999 following an incident in which he held a loaded gun to his wife's head and made her beg for her life.[6] In 2000, Chouinard pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to four increments of three-month prison terms during baseball's offseasons. He was allowed 42 hours to work out at Coors Field and visit with his family every week.[7] He was also ordered to make a $25,000 donation to a domestic violence charity and appear in ten public service announcements.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ "Players by birthplace: Philippines Baseball Stats and Info" Baseball-Reference.com
  2. ^ Vondersmith, Jason. "FOREST GROVE MISSES PLAYOFFS"[permanent dead link], The Oregonian, May 17, 1990. Accessed November 12, 2007. "When Forest Grove badly needed its superstar to play his best game of the year, Bobby Chouinard was there on the mound and at the plate, even though the effort was in vain."
  3. ^ Bobby Chouinard Archived 2008-05-26 at the Wayback Machine, The Baseball Cube. Accessed November 12, 2007.
  4. ^ "D'Backs Chouinard Arrested," CBS News(AP)
  5. ^ "Baseball; Orioles' Quest for Baines Ends With A's Trade". The New York Times. 15 January 1993.
  6. ^ "Baseball: Chouinard begins serving sentence". Amarillo Globe-News. Associated Press. November 29, 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Jail time changes Chouinard's life". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Associated Press. February 18, 2001. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  8. ^ "PLUS: COURT NEWS; Chouinard Gets Split Jail Time". The New York Times. Associated Press. 28 November 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2017.

External links edit