Chien-Ming Wang
From BR Bullpen
Chien-Ming Wang
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 230 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Chien-Ming Wang (王建民) is the most successful Taiwanese player who has played in the major leagues. A member of the New York Yankees, he got 19 wins in his second year, his first full season in the majors, ranking 1st in the 2006 AL in wins, 8th in ERA and finishing second in the 2006 American League Cy Young Award voting. He again notched 19 wins the next year.
Wang was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in the round-robin phase of the 1997 World Junior Championship. He allowed only one hit in 7 innings, striking out 9. Canada's Jason Mandryk beat him out for All-Tournament honors at right-handed pitcher. Wang's Taiwan won Silver. In the 1999 World Port Tournament, Wang had a 1.59 ERA, striking out 6 and allowing 6 hits in 5 2/3 IP. He helped Taiwan win Silver at the 2003 Asian Championship as they earned a spot in the 2004 Olympics.
In 2006, his K/9 was 3.14 (76 K in 218.0 IP), the lowest among all pitchers who pitched more than 150 innings, but he induced many ground balls. His two-seam fastball (sinker) is his best pitch, and it was hard for batters to hit liners against it. As a result, his ground-out/fly-out ratio was second to Roy Halladay, who is also famous for his two-seamer. He continued his string of success in 2007, going 19-7, and increasing his strikeouts from 76 to 104 in almost the same time on the mound. However, he was roughed up during the postseason, losing both of his ALDS starts against the Cleveland Indians while giving up 12 earned runs on 14 hits in only 5 2/3 innings of work.
Wang was off to another good start in 2008, with a record of 8-2, when he broke his right foot on June 15 while running the bases in an interleague game. He was expected to be sidelined for at six weeks but never pitched again. As it was clear that the Yankees would miss the postseason, there was little reason to rush Wang's return to action. Wang then struggled mightily in 2009, going only 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA in 12 games. He was shut down early once again, and completely missed the Yankees' run to a World Series title. he became a free agent after the season and signed with the Washington Nationals, but missed all of 2010 with an injury.
Wang made his return to the major leagues in 2011, making his first appearance for the Nationals on July 29th. He lost that start to the New York Mets, lost again in his second start, then earned his first win in over two years on August 9th when he beat the Chicgao Cubs, 3-1. He gave up no runs and only one hit and two walks over 6 innings in that game.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL Wins Leader (2006)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (2006 & 2007)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (2006)
