August 16, 2011: Chien-Ming Wang records second win for Nationals after 2-year absence from majors

On May 5, 2000, 20-year-old Taiwanese right-hander Chien-Ming Wang signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent.1

Wang’s signing was a surprise to some. “In high school, he was kind of terrible,” said Louis Yu, a sportswriter who covered Wang then. “He was tall and very, very skinny. His delivery wasn’t smooth, and his fastball was not impressive. People in Taiwan were surprised [the Yankees] gave him so much money. No one thought he could be a star.”2

Just 14 starts into his professional career, Wang suffered a torn labrum.3 After surgery, he missed the 2001 season.4

In Triple-A Columbus in 2004, he discovered a new pitch5 that changed his career – a devastating sinker that teammate Andy Pettitte called “an ultimate weapon, it’s the best sinker I’ve ever seen.”6

Wang made his major league debut on April 30, 2005, at Yankee Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays, becoming the second pitcher and third player from Taiwan to appear in the major leagues. He earned the win with seven innings of two-run ball and finished the season 8-5 in 18 games (17 starts) with a 4.02 ERA.

In 2006 Wang was 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA. He tied Minnesota’s Johan Santana for the most wins in the American League and finished second to Santana in the AL Cy Young Award balloting. He started 2007 on the disabled list but posted similar numbers – 19-7 with a 3.70 ERA – and tied for second in the AL in wins, one behind Boston’s Josh Beckett.

Wang was now a folk hero in his baseball-crazed homeland,7 where he was nicknamed The Prince of Taiwan.8 Fans stayed up until 3:00 A.M. to watch his starts and the largest local paper, Apple Daily, claimed to sell up to 300,000 more copies than usual the day after he pitched.9

In 2008 Wang was on his way to another fine season when disaster struck. On June 15 he injured his right foot while scoring his first major league run in an interleague contest against the Houston Astros.10 Wang was finished for the year with an 8-2 record and a 4.07 ERA.11

He returned in 2009 but was not the same pitcher. On April 18 he started the first game at the new Yankee Stadium and, after a scoreless first inning, was charged with eight runs while getting just one out in the second.

The foot injury led to arm problems.12 “I did not use my legs to pitch,” Wang admitted. “Only the arm.”13 Wang underwent major shoulder surgery after a 1-6 mark with a 9.64 ERA in 12 games through July 4. After the season, he was not offered a contract by the Yankees and became a free agent.

After missing the 2010 season rehabbing his shoulder, Wang signed with the Washington Nationals. After some work in the minors, he returned to the majors on July 29, 2011, more than two years after his last appearance with the Yankees. Wang lost his first two starts – allowing 12 total runs, of which only six were earned – before rebounding on August 9 when he allowed one hit in six innings and beat the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

In Wang’s next start, a crowd of 23,888 came out on a Tuesday night to watch two mediocre teams square off at Nationals Park. Washington entered the game against the Cincinnati Reds with a record of 57-62, in fourth place in the National League East, 21 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies; the Reds were 59-62 and in third place in the NL Central, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 11½ games.

Cincinnati started 23-year-old right-hander Mike Leake, who was 10-7 with a 3.84 ERA. He had turned in quality starts in four consecutive games with a 2.77 ERA, although he was 2-2 in those games.

The Reds jumped on Wang immediately. Drew Stubbs led off with a single to right. One out later, he stole second base as Joey Votto walked. Stubbs advanced to third on a fly by Brandon Phillips; Jay Bruce singled him home and moved Votto to third. Ramón Hernández lined a single to right to bring in Votto and give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.

Washington answered quickly against Leake, helped by questionable Cincinnati defense.

Rick Ankiel led off with what appeared to be a routine fly, but Reds left fielder Yonder Alonso couldn’t get to it. “A faster outfielder would have [caught it],” said his manager, Dusty Baker. “That’s the one thing he lacks – speed. You’re either born with it or you’re not.”14

One out later, Ryan Zimmerman reached on an infield single when shortstop Edgar Rentería made a diving stop up the middle but couldn’t get the ball out of his glove to make a throw.15 Ankiel advanced to second on the play.

Mike Morse followed with a liner to right. Bruce took a step in before retreating; the ball went over his head for an RBI single that scored Ankiel and moved Zimmerman to third.

“Jay broke in,” Baker said. “But then it’s too late. That ball was inside, but Morse is so strong he fought that ball off for a line drive.”16

Jayson Werth walked to load the bases. Laynce Nix fanned for second out, but Ian Desmond lined a single to center, plating Zimmerman and Morse and putting the Nationals ahead, 3-2.

Washington methodically increased its lead. In the bottom of the third inning, Morse homered to deep right-center to make the score 4-2. An inning later, Wilson Ramos doubled with one out. Wang, who had never collected a hit in the majors,17 moved Ramos to third with a grounder to short; Ramos scored when Votto misplayed Ankiel’s grounder to first base.

In the Nationals’ next at-bat, Zimmerman led off with a long home run down the left-field line, making the score 6-2.18

After his rocky first inning, Wang settled in. Rookie third baseman Todd Frazier led off the second for the Reds and reached on an error by Zimmerman at third, but Wang then retired 12 consecutive batters.

Votto ended Wang’s streak when he started the sixth with a double to right field; he went to third on a groundout by Phillips and scored on a groundout by Bruce.

In the seventh, Fred Lewis hit for Leake and singled to right. After Stubbs lined to center, Rentería smacked an RBI double19 to make the score 6-4 and chase Wang from the game; Tyler Clippard retired Votto and Phillips, ending the inning.

After Clippard worked around a two-out single in the eighth, Washington closer Drew Storen picked up his 32nd save with a perfect ninth inning, including swinging strikeouts of Dave Sappelt and Stubbs.

Wang allowed seven hits and four runs with one walk – but didn’t strike out a batter. The 6⅓ innings were his longest outing since June 10, 2008 – the start before his injury – and the victory gave him wins in consecutive starts for the first time since the game in which he was injured.

“I think he’s just going to get stronger,” Washington manager Davey Johnson said. “From what I’ve seen, he wasn’t tired, and he was still throwing the ball hard.”20

Wang started seven more games in 2011 and won the final two to finish with a 4-3 record and a 4.04 ERA in 62⅓ innings. The 2012 season was Wang’s last in Washington; he was 2-3 with a 6.68 ERA in 32⅓ innings.

On March 22, 2013, Wang signed as a free agent with the Yankees and pitched in Triple A but was released on June 7. He signed with the Blue Jays, where he started six games and compiled a 1-2 record with a 7.67 ERA.

In 2014 and 2015, Wang bounced around, appearing for Triple-A teams with four organizations and the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

During his time in the minors in 2014, Wang was approached by director Frank W. Chen about making a documentary of his struggle to overcome his injuries and his determination to get back to the major leagues.

Wang was initially apprehensive. “I just wanted to focus on my game and try to make it back to the big leagues,” he said. “I had a few more discussions after the 2014 season with my agent Alan Chang, and gradually began to think this could be a work that could inspire next generations of ballplayers, as well as my own sons. After further thoughts, I decided to participate in this film in early 2015.”21

The documentary, called Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story, was released in 2018.22 

Wang signed a minor league contract in 2016 with the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals and made the squad in spring training. He recaptured some of his old magic – he was 6-0 with a 4.22 ERA in 38 games (all in relief) – but was placed on the disabled list in August and released after the season.

Wang ended his career as the major leagues’ most successful Taiwanese-born player,23 finishing with a 68-34 record and a 4.36 ERA in 174 games.

Author’s Note 

The author attended this game with his son’s Bryant, Arkansas, all-star baseball team on an off day during the team’s appearance in the 2011 Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series in Winchester, Virginia. The team and their families sat in the left-field bleachers, where they watched Bryant native Travis Wood warm up with the Cincinnati Reds before the game. 

Acknowledgments

SABR members John Fredland and Evan Katz provided insightful comments and review on an earlier version of this article.

This article was fact-checked by Laura Peebles and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted data from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org. He also reviewed a recording of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) television broadcast of the game, posted on YouTube.com.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS201108160.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2011/B08160WAS2011.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVRLQSH6uL8

Notes

1 The Yankees signed Wang for $1.9 million just before he was set to sign with the Seattle Mariners. Albert Chen, “The Secret of Yankees Ace Wang,” Sports Illustrated, April 15, 2008, https://www.si.com/more-sports/2008/04/15/wang0421.

2 Chen.

3 Thomas Golianopoulos, “Yankees Magazine: A Different Sort of Happiness,” June 18, 2018, https://www.mlb.com/news/documentary-follows-chien-ming-wang-s-comeback-c281774444.

4 Chen.

5 Upon his return, Wang was told to stop throwing the slider because the Yankees felt it put too much stress on his arm. Chen.

6 Kevin Winterhalt, “Remembering the Freak Injury That Derailed Chien-Ming Wang’s Career,” Pinstripe Alley, June 15, 2022,

 https://www.pinstripealley.com/2022/6/15/23167905/yankees-history-chien-ming-wang-injury-foot-baserunning-designated-hitter.

7 Through 2023, Taiwan has won 17 Little League World Series titles, all between 1969 and 1996. Five of the winning teams were from Wang’s hometown of Tainan. Chen.

8 Kelyn Soong, “Former Nats Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang Reflects on Journey Back to the Big Stage,” Washington City Paper, May 23, 2019, https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/180164/former-nats-pitcher-chienming-wang-reflects-on-journey-back-to-the-big-stage/.

9 Soong.

10 The DH was not used in both leagues until 2022. In 2011 Houston was in the National League, which did not use the designated hitter at the time. The Astros joined the American League, which used the DH, in 2013.

11 Wang suffered a torn Lisfranc ligament and a partial tear of the peroneus longus of the right foot. Andres Chavez, “New York Yankees: Remembering Chien-Ming Wang and What Could Have Been,” Empire Sports Media, May 26, 2020, https://empiresportsmedia.com/mlb/new-york-yankees-remembering-chien-ming-wang-and-what-could-have-been/.

12 Chavez.

13 Tyler Kepner, “Capping a Slow Comeback, but a Bit Slower,” New York Times, July 24, 2011, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/sports/baseball/chien-ming-wang-is-capping-a-slow-comeback.html.

14 John Fay, “Missteps on Defense Trip Up Reds,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 17, 2011: C1.

15 Fay.

16 Fay.

17 Wang recorded his first major-league hit, an RBI single against Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves, on September 24, 2011. He finished his career with 2 hits in 39 at-bats.

18 “Actually, he called that in the dugout,” Washington manager Davey Johnson said later. “None of us believed him. He said he was gonna hit a bomb. So it didn’t surprise any of us. I asked him if he got all of it. He said no, it kind of jammed him.” “Ryan Zimmerman Called His 5th Inning Monster Bomb Off Mike Leake,” The Nats Enquirer, August 16, 2011, https://www.natsenquirer.com/2011/08/16/index.html.

19 After his double, Rentería left the game with a pulled groin muscle. Fay.

20 Associated Press, “Michael Morse, Ryan Zimmerman Lift Chien-Ming Wang, Nationals Past Reds,” ESPN.com August 16, 2011, https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=310816120.

21 Ken Davidoff, “The Story Behind One-Time Yankees Ace Who Refuses To Give Up”, October 22, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/10/22/the-story-behind-one-time-yankees-aces-refusal-to-give-up/.

22 Wang’s minor league managers and pitching coaches, former major leaguers Dave Eiland, Neil Allen, Pat Listach, Mike Harkey, Jaime Navarro, and Doug Henry, as well as his Yankees pitching coach Billy Connors and general manager Brian Cashman, appear in the documentary. As of November 2023, it can be viewed on Netflix.

23 As of the end of the 2023 season, there have been 13 major league pitchers from Taiwan. Wang’s 68 wins are nine more than Wei-Yin Chen achieved during his career from 2012 to 2019 with Baltimore and Miami. Chen did pass Wang in innings pitched (1,064⅔ to 845⅔) and starts (170 to 126). No other Taiwanese pitcher is close to Wang or Chen in either of these categories.