From Newsday

Wang has been quietly outstanding for Yankees

KAT O'BRIEN | kat.obrien@newsday.com; Newsday staff writer

May 9, 2008

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If the Yankees had scored a few runs on Wednesday night, Chien-Ming Wang might have run his record to 7-0.

Wang took the loss to drop to 6-1 after allowing three earned runs in seven innings while his teammates were shut out. That does not detract from how impressive Wang has been this season. The 28-year-old righthander has a 3.12 ERA in eight starts, with just one dud (he gave up eight runs in four innings to the Red Sox on April 16). In Wang's seven other starts, he has allowed a total of 10 runs and has pitched at least six innings each time.

"This year, I'm using both sides of the plate," Wang said, "and using more off-speed pitches. I'm using sliders and changeups [more], because last year I only threw the sinker."

Well, almost exclusively, anyway. Wang occasionally threw other pitches, but he is trying not to rely so heavily on the sinker this season.

"His stuff is so good, it really is," Andy Pettitte said. "This year he's really had good command."

Pettitte knew next to nothing about Wang last spring after he returned to the Yankees following three seasons with the Astros. Pettitte said he never had seen Wang pitch. But he was aware that Wang had won 19 games in 2006 (he also won 19 in 2007), so he watched him closely to see what made him so successful.

And then he was baffled.

"When I saw him day in and day out, I didn't think he was that good a pitcher," Pettitte said, "but the guy had terrific numbers."

In saying he did not think Wang was that good a pitcher, Pettitte meant that Wang was relying on his "stuff" too much and not his knowledge of how to pitch. And don't get Pettitte wrong, he thinks Wang has tremendous stuff and that his sinker is pure gold. Yet he saw room for Wang to develop. Like he has this season.

"This year, man, he's been amazing," Pettitte said. "He's moving his sinker in and out. He hasn't walked many guys ... He's definitely under the radar. The main reason is that if you don't strike out a lot of guys, you don't get a whole lot of attention."

The other reason there's less chatter about Wang than other top starting pitchers (i.e. Josh Beckett, C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana) is that he is so quiet. He doesn't talk a lot in any language. But especially not in English (Wang is from Taiwan).

Johnny Damon's locker is next to Wang's, and he says he can tell Wang understands a good amount of English because he perks up when something is said about him.

Joba Chamberlain, who has an amazing ability to connect with all kinds of teammates, said: "Don't let him fool you. He talks all the time. He's really funny. He gives it just as much as he gets."

Chamberlain and Wang got to know one another while both were recovering from hamstring strains in Tampa at the start of last season. Chamberlain would not make his major-league debut for several more months, but he and Wang hit it off.

The strong start has been significant for Wang, who was bothered by last year's stint on the disabled list.

"It's important, because last year, I missed one month," Wang said. "This year, I want to stay healthy."

Wang's success may matter even more to his countrymen than to most Yankees fans. He is a near-deity in Taiwan, as a recent Sports Illustrated article detailed. It talked about a study by the Taiwanese business journal "Money Weekly" that found a correlation between Wang's success and the stock market doing well.

If Wang paid attention to such things, he might feel pressured. His solution, he said, is "just don't think about it."

Yet Wang may be one of the only star athletes to play for a New York team who says the scrutiny is less intense here than in his homeland. Said Wang: "Easier here. The Taiwan media is tough."

Wang's popularity is off the charts in Taiwan. Think bigger even than Derek Jeter in New York or LeBron James in Cleveland. Rarely does Wang go out in Taiwan. Occasionally, he says, he will go to a movie, but he attempts to sneak in without being identified. That's tough at 6-5.