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  • 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.

Chien-Ming Wang is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher who is a

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