Chien-Ming Wang is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher who is a
free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball for the New York
Yankees, Washington Nationals, and Toronto Blue Jays. He has also played
for the Taiwan national baseball team and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Wang signed as an amateur free agent with the Yankees in 2000. After playing
in Minor League Baseball, he made his MLB debut in 2005. He won 19 games in
the 2006 and 2007 seasons, leading the American League in 2006. He suffered a
foot injury in 2008 that limited his effectiveness, and cost him the 2010
season. He pitched for Washington in 2011 and 2012, and for Toronto in 2013.
National baseball team Wang pitched for Chinese Taipei, the
national baseball team of Taiwan, in the 2002 Asian Games. In 2004, as the
apparent ace of the staff, Wang led Chinese Taipei to the 2004 Olympic Games
in Athens. Against Australia, he allowed just three hits with no walks, and at
one point retired nine batters in a row, to earn the win. He also limited Japan
to just five hits in the first six innings.
He is the fourth major leaguer from Taiwan, following Dodgers outfielder
Chin-Feng Chen, Rockies pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher
Hong-Chih Kuo. Since being called up to the majors, Wang has been idolized in
Taiwan where all of his games have been televised nationwide, many on public big
screens to large audiences. Because of this popularity, he was named one of the
Time 100 for 2007. At the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Wang
started for the Chinese Taipei team's opener against Australia and threw 6
shut out innings for the win. Minor league career
Wang rose through the New York Yankees minor league system, including the
Single-A Staten Island Yankees, who retired his number 41 in 2006 on
YouTube. Wang posted a 1.75 ERA for Staten Island, second-lowest in
franchise history. He played for the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game
in 2003. In 2005, Wang was called up from the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate,
the Columbus Clippers. In 2013, Wang came back to the Yankees' Triple-A
affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Major League career = New York Yankees =
2005–2007 Wang pitched in 18 games, though an
injury kept him sidelined for part of the season. He went 8–5 with an earned
run average of 4.02. On September 19, 2005, Wang tied a record for assists in
a game by a pitcher with nine. In the playoffs against the Angels, Wang
pitched 62⁄3 innings and allowed 4 runs, only one of which was earned. The
Yankees lost the game and the series. In 2006 Wang won 19 games, posted a 3.63
ERA and even picked up his first save on June 3 against the Baltimore Orioles.
Wang threw two complete games, though the first, on June 18, was bittersweet:
against the Washington Nationals, he allowed a 1-out, 2-run, walk-off home
run by Ryan Zimmerman to lose the game 3–2. His first complete game win was on
July 28, 2006, a 2-hit, 6–0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Yankee
Stadium. In his next start, he threw eight shutout innings against the
Toronto Blue Jays, in which he got an outstanding 18 ground ball outs. Wang
started the first game of the Division Series against the Detroit Tigers. Wang
earned the win as the Yankees beat Detroit 8–4.
Overall in 2006, Wang limited batters to a .211 batting average while games were
tied, and a .205 batting average in games that were late and close. The
Tampa Bay Devil Rays batted just .159 against him, losing three out of four
games to the Yankees that Wang pitched. Wang was effective despite the lowest
strikeout rate in the majors, thanks in part to his allowing the fewest home
runs per nine innings. Wang also led the league in ground ball percentage and
obtained 2.84 groundouts for every fly ball out.
At the end of the season, Wang finished second to Johan Santana in voting for
the Cy Young award. Wang collected 15 second-place votes, and 51 points. He
also received a ninth-place vote, good for two points, in the AL MVP balloting,
won by Justin Morneau. In MLB.com's This Year in Baseball Awards, he was chosen
as the top starter in 2006 season with more than 47% of the fan vote.
Wang began the 2007 season on the disabled list, having injured his right
hamstring during spring training. He returned on April 24 against Tampa Bay.
On May 5, 2007, Wang pitched 71⁄3 perfect innings before giving up a home
run to Ben Broussard of the Seattle Mariners, falling five outs short of a
perfect game. On June 17, 2007, Wang had a superb
outing versus the New York Mets, in which he threw 113 pitches through 8 and
2/3 innings for 10 strikeouts and just 6 hits. On August 30, Wang took a
no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox into the seventh inning before giving up
a single to Mike Lowell. Rookies Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramirez finished
the two-hitter, and the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5–0.
In 2007 Wang was 2nd in the AL in wins, 3rd for the second straight year in
win-loss percentage, 9th in wild pitches, and 10th in hit batsmen. He had
a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. He also had the lowest HR/9 innings pitched
ratio in the AL, was 3rd in GB% and GB/FB, and had the 5th-lowest strikeouts
per 9 innings pitched. Despite his regular season performance,
Wang faltered in the 2007 postseason. In the American League Division Series
against the Cleveland Indians, Wang started two games, earning the loss in
both appearances. He pitched a combined 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 12 earned
runs, for a postseason ERA of 19.06. The Yankees lost the ALDS in four games.
2008–2009 The beginning of the 2008 season saw
Wang at the top of the Yankees rotation and the ace with veterans Mike Mussina
and Andy Pettitte. In the final Yankee Stadium season opener against the
Toronto Blue Jays, Wang pitched 7.0 innings, allowing only 2 runs and
picking up his first win of the season. In his first start against the Boston
Red Sox in 2008, he pitched a one-run, two-hit complete game.
On April 22, 2008, Wang recorded a win against the Chicago White Sox at U.S.
Cellular Field. The victory, in Wang's 85th career start, made him the fastest
Major Leaguer to record 50 wins as a starter since Dwight Gooden, who won his
50th game in his 82nd start on June 29, 1986, at Chicago for the New York Mets.
Wang also became the quickest Yankee to 50 wins since Ron Guidry, who
accomplished this in his 82nd start. Wang finished April with a perfect 5–0
record, leading the American League along with Joe Saunders. On May 2, Wang
became the first six-game winner in the American League with a win over the
Seattle Mariners with just one earned run over six innings. On May 8, Cliff
Lee of the Cleveland Indians beat Wang 3–0, handing Wang his first loss of the
season. During this loss, Wang allowed three runs and five hits in seven
innings. On June 10, after going six starts with two losses and four no
decisions since May 2, Wang defeated the Oakland Athletics 3–1 to end the longest
victory drought of his career. Through 2008, Wang had the third highest winning
percentage of all starting pitchers over the last three years.
On June 15, Wang was taken out of an interleague game versus the Houston
Astros due to a right foot injury he sustained while running the bases,
something he was not used to doing, since pitchers do not bat in the
American League. Wang was diagnosed with a torn Lisfranc ligament of the right
foot and a partial tear of the peroneus longus of the right foot. Despite not
requiring surgery, he was on crutches and wearing a protective boot. The cast
was removed on July 29, but the extensive rehabilitation process
prevented Wang from pitching for the remainder of the season. Yankees'
part-owner Hank Steinbrenner showed frustration with pitchers having to bat
in the National League and suggested that the League "join the modern age".
On December 22, 2008, Wang and the New York Yankees avoided salary arbitration
when they agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract. Wang made $4 million
in the 2008 season after losing in salary arbitration. He had asked for
$4.6 million. On April 3, 2009, Wang became the first
Yankees' starting and the first game winning pitcher of the new Yankee
Stadium in the stadium opener exhibition game against Chicago Cubs. His regular
season began with an extraordinarily bad performance. In his first start of the
regular season, Wang gave up 7 earned runs and 9 hits in 3.2 innings against
the Baltimore Orioles. That was followed by a one-inning appearance against the
Tampa Bay Rays when he surrendered 8 earned runs in just one inning. In his
third start, against the Cleveland Indians in New York on April 18, Wang
was credited for eight more earned runs in 1.1 innings; Cleveland won the game
22–4. After his first 3 appearances, Wang was 0–3 with a whopping 34.50 ERA.
There was speculation that the right foot injury Wang sustained during the
2008 season caused him to compensate with the rest of his pitching motion,
leading to his 2009 struggles. Following the April 18 game manager Joe Girardi
said, "We have some time. We have a day off, I think Thursday, and we're going
to have to decide what's best for Chien-Ming Wang and the team." On April
22, General Manager Brian Cashman, at a Q&A at Southern Connecticut State
University, confirmed Wang's release point was 5 inches higher than the same
time the previous season. After being removed from the rotation
and sent down to Tampa to work out mechanical issues, Wang was diagnosed
with weakness in the muscles of both hips and placed on the disabled list. He
was activated from the disabled list on May 22, 2009, and on his first day on
the active roster, he was brought in from the bullpen. After two more relief
appearances, Wang went back to the rotation, but he struggled once again in
his first and second starts back. On June 28, Wang earned his first win of
the season, also his first since June 15, 2008, giving up two runs over 5.1
innings against the New York Mets. Wang was placed on the disabled list on
July 15, 2009 due to shoulder soreness. He was then eliminated for the remainder
of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on July 30, 2009. After the
Yankees won the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wang
participated in the championship parade through the Canyon of Heroes, but
acknowledged it "would have been more fun" if he had been healthy. On December
12, 2009, the Yankees made the choice not to re-sign him, making him a free
agent. = Washington Nationals =
2010–2012 On February 19, 2010, the Washington
Nationals announced they had signed Wang as a free agent to a $2 million deal. In
June, it was thought that Wang would return to the majors in late July or
early August. However, Wang's rehabilitation had been inconsistent,
and there was no timetable for his return to the majors. In September, the
Nationals acknowledged that Wang would not pitch in the majors at all during
the season, but instead was preparing for the instructional leagues in the
fall. Wang was non-tendered after the 2010
season. On December 16, 2010, Wang re-signed with the Nationals to a
one-year, $1 million contract with $4 million worth of potential performance
incentives. After continuing his injury rehabilitation, he began a formal rehab
assignment on June 27 with the Nationals' Class A farm team, the
Hagerstown Suns, pitching three innings, allowing two earned runs while striking
out three and walking none. Although his velocity topped out at around 90 mph, it
mostly sat between 86 and 88 mph. In his second start, on July 2 with the high-A
Potomac Nationals, Wang pitched 4 shutout innings, and allowed 2 walks
while striking out 2. 63% of his 38 pitches were strikes while his velocity
hit 91 mph in his final inning of work. Following a July 24 start for the
Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, Wang made his Nationals debut on July 29. Wang ended
the season with 11 starts, recorded 4–3 with a 4.04 ERA. He also made his first
hit and first RBI in the majors in his final start of the season, Sep 24
against the Atlanta Braves. On October 30, 2011, Wang was granted
free agency. Five days later on November 4, Wang re-signed with the Nationals to
a one-year, $4 million contract. On March 15, 2012, Wang sustained an
injury to his left hamstring, placing him on the DL.
On May 25, Wang pitched in the majors for the first time since going on the
disabled list. He went 3 innings in his first win that season. He then replaced
Ross Detwiler as the starting pitcher. In just 4 starts, Wang went 1-3 with an
ERA of 6.10 and 11 strikeouts. = Minor league stint with the Yankees =
On March 22, 2013 Wang signed a minor league contract with the New York
Yankees. According to his agents and Taiwan's EETV, his minors contract is
worth US$35,000 per month, but could worth up to $2.5 million per year, with
an extra $2.2 million in bonuses. However, if he did not secure a major
league contract by the end of April, he had the option to revert to free-agent
status. Wang opted out of his contract on June 7, 2013.
= Toronto Blue Jays = Wang signed a one-year, $500,000 deal
with the Toronto Blue Jays on June 9, 2013. He was added to the Blue Jays'
roster on June 11, making his first pitching appearance as a starter against
the Chicago White Sox. Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said
that they guaranteed Wang one start, and would decide on further appearances
based on the result of his first start. Wang earned his first win as a Blue Jay
in a game against the Texas Rangers on June 16, pitching 7 shutout innings. The
win gave the Blue Jays their first 4-game sweep in the 2013 season, and the
first 4-game sweep of the Rangers in Arlington in Blue Jays franchise
history. From June 11, the date Wang was added to
their roster, to June 23, the Blue Jays went on an 11-game winning streak. Wang
started three games during the streak, pitching at least 6 innings in each and
compiling an ERA of 2.18. Wang followed up his successful streak by starting two
games in which he was unable to make it out of the second inning. On June 27,
Wang pitched 12⁄3 innings against the Boston Red Sox and surrendered 6 hits
and 7 earned runs. On July 2, he also pitched only 12⁄3 innings and gave up 8
hits and 6 earned runs to the Detroit Tigers. After the Tigers game, Blue Jays
manager John Gibbons announced that Wang had been designated for assignment. Wang
was reported to be willing to accept an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo and was
outrighted to Buffalo on July 5. Wang was added to the Blue Jays roster again
on August 24, and designated for assignment on August 26. After clearing
waivers, he was again outrighted to the Buffalo Bisons. He became a free agent
on October 1. = Cincinnati Reds =
On December 19, 2013 he signed a minor league deal with an invite to Spring
training with the Cincinnati Reds. He opted out of his deal on July 13, 2014.
= Chicago White Sox = On July 17, 2014, Wang signed a minor
league contract with the White Sox. = Atlanta Braves =
On November 10, 2014, Wang signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta
Braves. In 10 starts, including a relief appearance, Wang had a 2-6 with an ERA
of 6.10 while surrendering the most hits in AAA up to the month of June. He was
released on June 19, 2015. = Southern Maryland Blue Crabs =
Wang signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of
Professional Baseball on June 24, 2015. = Seattle Mariners =
On July 12, 2015, Wang signed a minor league contract with the Mariners.
Scouting report During his prime, Wang was a finesse
pitcher with a power pitcher's velocity. In this period, he primarily relied on
his power sinker along with the occasional four-seam fastball, slider,
changeup, and splitter. His sinker, which was responsible for his elevation
to ace status before his foot injury, had very impressive lateral movement and
was thrown at greater than average velocity, sitting in the 91–94 mph
range. His strikeout pitch is an average slider
that closely resembles the fastball coming out of his hand, thus getting
batters to swing ahead of the pitch. Wang also throws a split-finger
fastball, though he only uses the pitch sparsely when in need of a strikeout or
double play. Wang's pitching style is characterized by efficiency, command of
the strike zone, few walks, few home runs allowed but also records very few
strikeouts. Wang works quickly and uses his ground-ball inducing sinker to
produce many double plays. This efficiency often allows Wang to maintain
a low pitch count deep into games. In Taiwan and the minor leagues, Wang
threw a more conventional assortment of pitches, including a four-seam fastball,
a changeup, and far more splitters. The sinker, which has become Wang's
signature pitch, was developed during his minor league career with advice from
Neil Allen, his Triple-A pitching coach, and his Triple-A catcher, Sal Fasano.
Prior to the 2008 season, Wang relied on his sinking fastball about 90% of the
time. However, after occasional bad outings, especially during the 2007
ALDS, Wang has worked to fully incorporate a slider and changeup into
his repertoire. Through his first three starts of 2008, Wang used his slider
roughly 15% of the time and his changeup around 8%.
Personal life In a 2006 The New York Times interview,
Wang revealed that he is the biological child of the man he formerly thought was
his uncle. Due to the media frenzy created in Taiwan over this, he briefly
refused to give interviews to Taiwanese media. Wang has also been taught basic
English. He has resided in Fort Lee, New Jersey and Edgewater, New Jersey. On
April 23, 2012, Wang admitted to having an extramarital affair while he was
recovering from a shoulder injury in 2009.
In the summer of 2011, Wang's biological maternal grandfather, a man surnamed
Huang, 82, committed suicide in a park in Tainan, Taiwan by hanging himself
with a piece of electrical cord, according to a news report in the Taipei
Times. Wang often visited this maternal grandfather when he returned to Taiwan
from time to time. Wang is married to Chia-Ling Wu. The couple has two sons,
J.J., born 2009, and Wellington, born 2013.
See also List of Major League Baseball wins
champions References
External links Career statistics and player information
from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The
Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference "Taiwanese players in US major leagues
showcase local baseball talents on international stage". culture.tw. July
3, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2014.