Chien-Ming Wang, A Taiwanese Star in American Sports

When thinking of Taiwanese sports stars, Chien-Ming Wang quickly comes to mind. Originally signed in 2000 to play for the Staten Island Yankees, a farm team for his present employer, the New York Yankees, Wang has followed in the footsteps other Taiwanese baseball players like Hong-Chih Kuo and Chin-hui Tsao (both are pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers).
In addition to learning a couple of new pitches from the Yankees pitching coaches, Wang has been brushing up on his English as well. When he first started out in New York, he shied away from newspaper reporters — afraid of speaking English in public. Now you can see him on ESPN answering questions on live TV. Among the many things he has had to adjust to with his new life in America is the language barrier, but Wang seems to have adjusted quite well. He has also adjusted quite well to pitching in the major leagues. Wang has quickly become one of the stronger pitchers on the Yankee roster.
In 2005, Wang was called up to pitch for the Yankees. Wang pitched in 18 games, but an injury kept him sidelined for part of the season. He went 8-5 with an earned run average (ERA) 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 6 2/3 innings and allowed just one earned run. Despite his efforts, the Yankees lost the game and the series.
In Wang's second season, he established himself as the Yankees' ace. Wang won 19 games (tied for the most in the majors along with Johan Santana), posted a 3.63 ERA and even picked up his first save on June 3 against the Baltimore Orioles. Wang threw two complete games. One was against the Washington Nationals when he allowed a 1-out, 2-run 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. Performances on the mound like these have earned Wang the respect and admiration of baseball fans in America and Taiwan alike.