Throughout the conversation, Chih-Jung “CJ” Liu answered questions through his translator, Portland Sea Dogs Coach Mickey Jiang. Asked what Liu likes about playing in Portland, he said his first two words of the interview in English.

“Lobster roll,” Liu said.

Liu has become a fan of that traditional Maine delicacy, and he’s making fans of the Sea Dogs’ faithful. The 24-year old right-hander signed by the Red Sox as an international signee from Taiwan in 2019 for $750,000 is off to a solid start. Thursday’s start against the Somerset Patriots was Liu’s first since throwing a seven-inning no-hitter in the opener of a doubleheader at Akron, Ohio, last Friday.

“His fastball played. It topped out at 97, 98, but he set it right at 96,” Portland Manager Chad Epperson said. “His fastball allowed him to get to the split finger and made that more effective. But he pounded the zone. Going into the seventh inning he was at 81 pitches, so it’s kind of an easy decision for us to send him back out.”

While he took the loss in Somerset’s 9-1 win in front of 3,736 fans at Hadlock Field Thursday, Liu (3-2) continued to show the promise he’s flashed throughout the first weeks of the season.

“For a young kid like him, it’s about developing that growth mindset. Be process-orientated rather than results-orientated. Sometimes the results haven’t always been there, but the process has continued to be there,” said Portland pitching coach Sean Isaac.

Liu pitched 5 1/3 innings Thursday, allowing two runs and three hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He opened the game with four no-hit innings before Somerset third baseman Tyler Hardman led off the top of the fifth with a single to left field.

Liu’s scoreless streak was snapped at 16 2/3 innings a few batters later when Anthony Seigler’s two-out single to center scored Hardman with the first run of the game. Trey Sweeney’s leadoff home run in the sixth off Liu gave the Patriots a 2-0 lead.

The Patriots (19-10) scored seven runs off four Sea Dogs (20-10) relievers over the final three innings to pull away, and pull within a half-game of Portland for first place in the Eastern League’s Northeast Division.

Portland’s run came on Stephen Scott’s home run in the seventh inning, his second.

The fastball is Liu’s best pitch, and against Somerset Thursday night he was consistently in the mid-90s, hitting 98 occasionally.

“In bullpen work, we overemphasize being competitive. It doesn’t have to be necessarily the nastiest pitcher every time he goes out there, but I think he does a lot of good things in challenging hitters. CJ does a lot of great things that are going to be better than any strengths of any hitters in the box. He doesn’t have to be perfect,” Isaac said.

Isaac pointed to a slider that has become a good swing-and-miss pitch for Liu, and said a split-fingered fastball Liu has developed is a pitch he can use to give hitters a different look the second time through the lineup.

“For me, I think the splitter is the hidden gem he likes to break out the second time through the order. Cutter in top of the zone. The sky’s the limit with his arsenal,” Isaac said.

Liu said he’s had better command of all his pitches this season, especially his breaking pitch. After pitching for Taiwan in the 2017 U18 World Cup tournament in Canada, his only visit to North America prior to signing with Boston, Liu did not pitch for two years. The arm rest did him good, Liu said.

“He felt like, my body’s worn down. Two years off from pitching, he tried to take advantage of it. In college, he played multiple positions and focused on playing defense and hitting,” Jiang said, translating for Liu. “The second year, he tried to gain weight and stay in shape. Those two years where he let his arm rest helped a lot now that he’s a full-time pitcher.”

Last season, spent mostly in High-A Greenville with one late season start in Portland, Liu posted a 6.06 ERA. This season, he’s cut that to 3.60 with better command and pitch selection.

“The past couple outings, I feel like the hitters in this league, they’re able to make adjustments. So I try to keep up by reading the swings, reading the hitters, get to know them,” Liu said.

As for last Friday’s start in Akron, Liu said he realized he was throwing a no-hitter in the fourth inning, and tried to focus on making every pitch. When he got the ground ball to shortstop Tyler McDonough for the final out, Liu still tried to remain calm, even though it was the first no-hitter he’s thrown, at any level.

Isaac and Epperson said they’re looking for more consistency from Liu.

“He’s still young with his pitching. It’s not like he’s been doing it all his life. (The no-hitter’s) a good confidence boost for him. Hopefully what he takes out of it is, when he’s in the zone, he’s ahead, he can be pitch efficient,” Epperson said.

Related Stories