About Chien-Ming Wang

Full Name: Chien-Ming Wang
Born: 03/31/1980
Birthplace: Tainan, Taiwan
Height: 6'3" Weight: 225
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
College: Taipei Physical Education College
MLB Debut: 04/30/2005

Wang to start in finale with Tigers

Wang to start in finale with Tigers

New York (69-54) vs. Detroit (67-56), Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET

By Caleb Breakey / MLB.com

Chien-Ming Wang is coming off a couple of rough outings, but the right-handed sinkerballer will be looking to get back on track when he faces the Tigers on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees manager Joe Torre said Wang just needs to trust his pitches, especially the one that worms fear.

"Sometimes he looks like he gets a little tentative out there, and that comes from not having the same feel he had a month ago," said Torre. "He's basically a sinkerball guy, and that's his bread and butter. Sometimes, he may use the other stuff too much, and that may take some away from it."

In his last start against the Orioles, Wang surrendered a home run to Corey Patterson, snapping a career-best streak of 56 2/3 innings without allowing a home run. The 27-year-old is 12-3 with a 3.79 ERA in his last 18 starts, and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Wang's average of 14.4 pitches per inning is the lowest among American League qualifiers this season.

Countering for the Tigers will be Jeremy Bonderman, who eliminated the Bombers in Game 4 of the AL Division Series last October.

Pitching matchup
NYY: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (13-6, 4.09 ERA)
Wang suffered his second consecutive rough outing on Monday, allowing eight hits and five earned runs in six-plus innings against the Orioles. The right-hander struck out two, walked one and surrendered a home run in a no-decision. It came one week after a start in Toronto in which Wang allowed eight earned runs before the third inning. In four career starts against Detroit, he owns a 3-0 record and 2.52 ERA.

DET: RHP Jeremy Bonderman (10-5, 4.65 ERA)
Bonderman picked up a no-decision on Tuesday at Cleveland, with two runs allowed over seven innings and eight strikeouts, but after two first-inning runs, he kept the Tigers in the game for an extra-innings victory. He's 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA lifetime against the Yankees, including 1-2 with a 5.85 ERA at Yankee Stadium.

Player to watch
Brandon Inge has a pretty good career line against Wang in his brief history against the right-hander, going 4-for-12 against him for a .333 batting average.

Wang: Succeeding in the States

Wang: Succeeding in the States

MLBPLAYERS.com

The success I'm having this year with the Yankees is big news back in Taiwan. Everybody is happy for me and they want to see me get more wins.

I'm just the third player born in Taiwan to play in the Major Leagues. There are more players back home who want to come to America. Everybody wants to try and play in the Major Leagues.

Chin-Feng Chen was the first player from Taiwan to play in the Major Leagues. He played two years for the Dodgers, beginning in 2002. That was a big deal in Taiwan. Everybody back home was very excited and very happy to see him here in the Major Leagues.

When I was growing up in Taiwan, I did not watch a lot of the Major Leagues on television. In Taiwan, more people watch Japanese and Korean baseball.

Back home, I pitched at a university, but I never dreamed of pitching in the Major Leagues. My goal was to pitch professionally in Taiwan. The pro league in Taiwan compares to the Minor Leagues here, but here you play more games.

I signed with the Yankees in 2000 and reached the Major Leagues in 2005. In the Minor Leagues, I practiced a lot and built up a lot of innings.

My English is getting better now that I've been playing here for six seasons. But when I first came here, I didn't speak any English. I watched a lot of movies and I tried to talk to my teammates to get better at it. I never felt lonely because I had a translator who took care of me.

Now, when I go back home, I try to bring back some of the lessons I've learned. I work a lot with the kids. I talk to them and show them mechanics. I show them the pitching motion.

Chien-Ming Wang, a Cy Young Award candidate with a 16-5 record and 3.69 ERA for the Yankees, attended Taipei College of Physical Education in his native Taiwan. Prior to making his debut with the Yankees in 2005, Wang helped pitch Taiwan to an Olympic berth in 2003 Asian Championships. He also earned MVP honors for Taiwan at the 2002 Asian Games.