Chien-Ming Wang was a New York Yankee starting pitcher for five seasons. He won 19 games twice, including in 2006 when he was the AL Cy Young runner-up and in 2007 when he was the ace of the staff. In 2008, the Taiwan native hurt himself running the bases in Houston
"Pitchers should have to bat and run the bases! It's tradition! Get rid of the DH!"
- a few dozen old men in a tavern in West Palm Beach
and was never the same again.
After rough stints with the Nationals and Bluejays, Wang is trying to get back to the big leagues with Atlanta. I was headed to BB&T and didn't even realize Wang was starting for Gwinnett until about an hour before the first pitch.
Wang is still the same pitcher he was in the mid-2000s - ton of ground balls, not a lot of strike outs and a lot of contact. Unfortunately, that sinking fast ball isn't coming out of his hand at 95 MPH anymore and Charlotte and the rest of the International League get to hit high-80s fast balls. Wang got 12 ground ball outs, but Charlotte tagged him for six earned runs and 12 hits in seven innings - the big hits coming from Matt Davidson (two-run HR in the first) and Neftali Soto, who brought the last two home with a single in the seventh - in a 6-2 victory.
Wang in a familiar position on Saturday: working from the stretch
I didn't see any Yankee games during Wang's five years with the team, so this was actually the first time I'd seen him pitch in person, which was nice. The 35-year old looks close to the end of his professional career (his ERA is 5.84 in two starts with Gwinnett), so in an odd way, and despite the fact he had a rough night, I felt like I was able to give Wang my own, personal (and unexpected) farewell for all the good things he did for the Yankees.
The 300 Game Season All Star Team
All summer, we'll be on the look out for the 300 Game Season all stars. Saturday in Charlotte we found our first member.
(* all of the names and statistical and biographical information is a work of fiction and should be taken fictionally).
Tommy Newell
#13 - Charlotte Renegades
Newell, a 12-year old shortstop/second baseman, currently leads his team in infield fall downs (seven) and is second in S.W.B. (sneezes while batting) with four.
* Had three A.S.T.S. (ankle sock + tube sock) combinations as a 10-year old in 2013.
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