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,