Wang and Kuo make them proud in Taiwan
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- June
- 13
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Tuesday was a big night for Taiwan.
In New York, Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees allowed one run in seven innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is 6-4 with a 3.49 ERA.
In Los Angeles, Hong-Chih Kuo of the Dodgers allowed one run in seven innings against the Mets. He improved to 1-1 and dropped his ERA to 3.60. He also homered as the Dodgers beat the struggling Mets.
Wang and Kuo are friends, having grown up in the same area in Taiwan. Kuo was considered the better prospect when they were younger because he threw harder. But he had a long history of injuries and did not emerge until last season.
Many fans from Taiwan have e-mailed about Wang and I’ve gotten to know several Taiwanese journalists. The New York chapter of the BBWAA even welcomed its first Taiwanese member this season, Joseph Liao of the World Journal. It’s great that MLB is making such inroads there.
Trust me when I tell you, Wang and Kuo will be big news there today.
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on Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 at 3:02 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Its already on the TVB(Chinese broadcast channel for americans) news. Go taiwan!
I dont know if Kuo is the guy I read about last year but I read about one of Wang’s friends who was a free agent and was supose to be better than him. Anyway, they will be huge news over there. I love knowing Wang is doing to well. The future of Wang being with Hughes and Clippard and Karstens has me gitty.
Kuo’s solo HR was the first HR ever hit by a Taiwanese player in the major. Go TAIWAN!!
go taiwan!
I watched both games and I must say both Kuo and Wang looked very impressive. Kuo’s game was very entertaining though when Dodgers knocked Maine around with 3 back to back HR. Even Kuo brought out the big bats himself and did some hitting. I saw on TV that he was a pretty good hitter when he was in high school.
They’re all over the TV today. Everyone here in Taiwan are very proud of their achievements – hope this will go a long way and inspire young athletes.
Also Peter I bought your book. Very well written, great read! Although I wish there were color photos.
And there will be another Tsao very soon.
gianthinker,
I think the guy you mentioned about is Chin-hui Tsao
(http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb......_id=425835)
he is now a dodgers, a big surprise this year and had been great for dodgers ‘ bullpen, but now he stays in DL for a little while.
Wang ,Kuo and Tao are big things for Taiwanese!
To gianthinker,
I think the Wang’s friend you said who was an FA last year is Chin-Hui Tsao. He is a great pitcher, too.
pretty hot , Taiwan
I’m from Taiwan and I would like to thank Mr. Abraham for the electrifying article(and showing our national flag
)
I wanna say that we’re proud of these young men.
(WANG,KUO,TSAO,and the Taiwanese rising stars in minor league)
They will show the world where and how amazing TAIWAN is.
GO TAIWAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
–
Actually KUO & TSAO were both famous powerful pitcher&slugger while in high school^^
Thank you so much for mentioning about Kuo while covering Wang. Even more thrilled for all Taiwanese fans, to see our national flag (not officially recognized by UN and Olympics thanks to bullying you-know-who)on your blog is just goose-bumping and weepy. NO intention to drag any politics here. Just pure touching needing to speak out from a long-unrecognized people happening to pretty much can’t live without baseball.
Hi Pete,
Just picked up the early evening edition of one of the papers here in Taipei. It has both Kuo and Wang “above the fold”, sharing the space. Pretty cool. I believe I heard Vin Scully announce on the Dodgers broadcast that Kuo hit that first homerun EVER for a Taiwanese player. And did I also hear that he’d had not one, but two Tommy John surgeries? Wow. (Hope I’m not misquoting Mr. Scully).
All in all, a fabulous day for Taiwan.
I just want to add that I just returned from Tianjin (near Beijing and also a site of the Olympics) on Monday. I was there for a business conference. I could barely breathe in all the pollution. Our cab driver actually told us it rains “mud” when it rains.
Just one more reason why I love Taiwan…
And I’m an American, for the record.
GO YANKEES
Yes, Kuo had TWO Tommy John surgeries. Check out the mlb.com’s dodgers’ news saying that “he now has as many Major League victories as Tommy John operations (two)”.
Wow, it’s COOL to see our national flag here. Go Yankees! Go Wang!
BTW, I bought your book here in Taiwan the other day. Very well written. Maybe the publisher should invite you to come for promotion here (it’s already a best-seller). That will be cool..
Peter,
Thank for the introduction of Kuo to Yankees fans.
The other Taiwanese pitcher I like to bring to your attention is Tsao, a Dodger reliever. He was the #1 SP in the Taiwanese 2004 Olympics team. Guess, who was the #2 SP in that team? Believe it or not, it was Wang. If Tsao can stay healthy, he will be heard soon.
I like your book and can’t wait to read its English edition too.
Today’s Taiwan is very different.Because Wang and Kuo win today.They are very excellent.
Go! Go! Taiwan.I come from Tainan, Taiwan.I am very proud.
check out this article about Cano and how fluke was last year for him.
http://www.baseballprospectus......red/?p=402
Greetings to our fellow fans from Taiwan. Yankee fans love Wang.
There are some people who bash Wang as being “lucky.” He pitches to contact and gives up a lot of ground balls. The statistics folks think that when you don’t strike out enough hitters, sooner or later those ground balls turn into hits and those hits will turn into lots of runs. And, of course, the so-called experts knock Wang because they see him as a sinker-only pitcher.
In fact, even though he doesn’t strike out many, Wang is an ace. Wang has a pretty good 94-ish fastball on top of that sinker and is getting better with his slider too. He is very economical – - strike out pitchers usually throw far more pitches. Because he is economical, Wang usually goes deep into games, resting the bullpen. He gets double plays, gives up very few home runs and very few walks. It’s those last two facts that render his strike out numbers pretty meaningless. Some ground balls will get through but if there are few HRs and few BBs, those ground balls are not going to hurt you too much.
Go Wang!
murphydog,
I agree with you l00%.
To me, the definition of an ace is the pitcher behind whom the team is confident it will win that day. The go-to guy who can make sure there are not too many losses in a row. Wang is that guy on the Yankees. He inspires confidence. Sure, strikeouts are “sexier,” but they aren’t absolutely necessary.
Sure is nice to have our pitchers going deeper than 5 innings a game. Everything is clicking right now, hopefully they get to the Mets before they figure out whatever is wrong with them right now and this winning streak can hit double digits.
Figured this was worth posting: Yanks’ pitching prospect Joba Chamberlin debuted at Trenton last night and threw 5 innings, allowing 3 hits, no earned runs and struck out 9! Good start for another promising youngster.
I am so happy.
Enjoy it.
Gï¼? Goï¼? Yankee
This guy Edwar Ramirez in AAA looks like a great reliever, I am surprised nobody talks about him.
Kuo hit some shot to right field.
Tommy,
You cant call a 2nd yr guy a fluke. You know how dumb that sounds? A fluke is Brady Anderson hitting 50 homers when he never hit over 30.
Marc you obviously don’t spend anytime here if you don’t hear people tlaking about Ramirez.
Whats next? Someone saying we don’t talk about Joba Chamberlain??
i dont care where the wanger is from . he’s nasty and throwing great . i bet if the yanks didnt have the hour long rain delay he would have had another c.g.
Rufus, ofcourse i heard of him here, I meant on the WFAN, the Post, ESPN..!!
Truly international game, you gotta love it. Kou throws harder? Give me Wang’s heavy, hard sinker any day.
Joba and Ian are really fast tracking to get here soon. I don’t think Cash can trade either one until Hughes can go a full season without getting injured. His limited innings this year sets him back, so he will be limited next year. All the while, Joba and Ian get their innings up. Also, they are older than Phil. This year, Phil will be 21, Joba will be 22 and Ian will be 23 in Dec.
For 2008, I think the Yankees rotation starts: Wang, Pettitte, Moose, Hughes, Clippard and the Scranton rotation starts Joba, Ian, Ohlendorf, Wright, Marquez.
2009 Yankees: Hughes, Wang, Pettitte, Joba, Ian
Good job! Buddy
Jeff,
Then in 2009, all 5 starters would be FARM hands, that probably hasnt happened in 40 years!
GO Taiwan
i love baseball.
That very unlikely to happen. Pettitte has a player option for 2008. He may retire after this year. Especially if Torre is not back. If that happens, they will have to go outside the organization to find a replacement.
I think a more realistic way of looking at it is, Wang, Hughes and Mussina are set for 2008. If Andy is back, then one of the young guys (most likely among Marquez, Kennedy and Chamberlain) joins the rotation. Or, if they are not ready, they find a one year vet to take a spot, with Jeff Karstans becoming the 5th starter.
I think Clippard will either be dealt or be in AAA next year. His upside is not as strong as the other candidates and I don’t see him as a long term solution with the Yankees.
In 2009, Pettitte will most likely be gone (unlike Clemens, he has no desire to play much longer) and they will make a big, big play for Johan Santana, if he is healthy. He will be a FA after next season.
It would set up nicely for them to do so. Wang will probably be in the 10 million range, salary-wise, Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain (the other 4 guys in the rotation, IMO) would be making near, or slightly above, the minimum. That leaves a ton of cash for Santana.
Open the new Yankee Stadium in 2009 with a rotation of: Santana, Wang, Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain, you are going to win a lot of games.
Good point Marc, guess the Yankees wouldn’t do that. Especially with Johan becoming a free agent in between. Although they did rightly back awasy from the long term deal for Zito, so who knows.
On last night’s InDemand feed, Arizona’s broadcasters thought Melky was being booed for the double off Farnsworthless. You should tell them that Farnsworth was being booed for another hit. Yankee fans are knowledgeable and would not boo an outfielder for that kind of double.
2008 rotation : 1. wang
2. pettitte
3. hughes
4. moose
5. igawa
maybe zambrano if the yanks go after him and i would look for igawa to join this yr’s rotation sometime in july . clippard isnt ready yet
Igawa pitched 2 good games in a row in Scranton, this is Clippard’s spot to lose. Hughes will be back before they make the switch anyways.
Good point SJ44. One interesting thing I saw on this other blog http://www.waswatching.com/ showing the % of balls hit by Yankee pitchers that were line drives, interestingly the lowest was Tyler Clippard indicating he is not getting hit hard so there may be hope for him yet. Try to ignore the posting on that blog about Jorge planning to be a free agent after this year.
Speaking of big nights in Taiwan, the day Kuo got his first win was also a great day for baseball players from Taiwan.
It was Sept 9, 2006, Taiwan heritage night in Shea Stadium, Kuo went six innings striking out and giving up only three hits to get his first major leauge win.
Wang got his 17th win of the season, beating the Orioles by holding Baltimore to one run on eight hits over 7 1/3 innings, striking out one batter without issuing a walk.
Also, way around the world in Japan, Chien-Ming Chiang(yup another pitcher named Chien-Ming from Taiwan) won his third game in a row for the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo. He went 8 innings allowing olny four hits and a run.
It seems like Kuo likes company when he gets wins. Just sharing a great memory, at least for baseball fans in Taiwan like me.
IP H R ER BB SO HR
Kuo (W, 1-4) 6.0 3 0 0 3 7 0
Wang (W, 17-5) 7.1 8 1 1 0 1 0
Chiang(W, 3-0) 8.0 4 1 1 1 4 1
————————————————
Sum 21.1 15 2 2 4 12 1
Pettitte is back…if he gets some run support. Zambrano is a headcase…and said he doesn’t want to pitch in New York b/c there’s too many rules…although that may be what he needs. Buerle says he won’t shave the fur off his face. Santana looks human, although the real problem is run support. If Roger gets enough wins this year and approaches 400 at a pretty good clip, he may be back. Igawa replaces Clippard this year. They’re both nibblers, but we’re paying Igawa a lot more. Hughes was a revelation, but for his own sake, he shouldn’t be rushed back. Mussina doesn’t seem to have a lot left in the tank, and I predict he will not go gracefully. What does all this mean? That this year’s rotation is just as unpredictable as next year’s. lol.
Just came across this fake Soprano’s ending. It was absolutely hysterical and strangely creepy. About half way down the page: http://www.bestweekever.tv/
Interesting..especially the part about Kuo (pitcher) also homered last night. Maybe we should let Wang do the hitting sometimes..j/k
You bet! It’s a big new here! ^O^
You bet! It’s a big news here! ^O^
proud of these young men !!
here’s a hypothetical question on rules i always wondered about. The Zambrano comments reminded me.
let’s say the yankees sign Zambrano and a day comes where Zambrano is pitching to Wil Nieves.
Can we let whomever is DH take the place of Nieves and let Zambrano bat or is the DH meant to specifically take the pitcher out of a lineup?
Go TAIWAN !
TAIWAN Go !
Taiwan Is TAIWAN.
Taiwan ≠China
Taiwan ≠China
Taiwan ≠China
Pete, I like reading your blog. but no politics please. Wang is a great pitcher, I dont care where he comes from, Beijing or Taiwan.
I do care where he comes from,Go Taiwan ! Go Wang !
mainland wang fan
Wang IS from Taiwan. Period.
I don’t care whether you call Taiwan a part of China or not.
Wang is from Taiwan, and he has nothing to do with Beijing.
Peter Abraham does not write anything about politics.
You are the one who brings in this issue.
So no politics please.
Wang go go go!!
Kuo go go go!!
Taiwan go go go!!
Take a good look of these two great players, they’re from TAIWAN. the mother national for them.
Such a proud day for them and TAIWAN…
China Gov. and China people, watch this sentence carefully,
WANG AND KUO ARE FROM TAIWAN, THEY ARE TAIWANESE, AND NOTHING COULD CHANGE THIS FACT. TAIWAN is not from china, then and ever…
It’s a great night for Taiwan.
Apparently mainland wang fan can’t read. I don’t see one word on Pete’s post about politics.
In my memory, Wang got the first win of postseason game among all Asian pitchers. The win was also the only win of Yankees’s postseason game last year. I don’t know whether Wang will be a great pitcher of MLB history in the future, but I think Wang is really a humble, stable, and trustworthy hardworker. And he still progresses every year.
Go Wang! Go Taiwan!
By the way, In Taiwan, baseball is a long-history sport and most people like to watch baseball. On the contrary, I don’t think people in China know what is baseball. This is the main different between Taiwan and China (besides democracy and autocracy).
Just say~~~~
Taiwan Go Go Go….
It’s a big day in Taiwan
I love Yankees.
I love Wang and Kuo.
I love Taiwan.
I love USA.
I love you, Peter.
Sons of Taiwan, GO! GO! GO!
Obviously Ryan Lin is the one who started bringing politics here. I am also from Taiwan, however, I feel so sorry for those Taiwanese who is so crazy about politics–hey guys, stop being childish. I must say that I think most people in Taiwan aren’t that rude and unreasonable, but most of the time, crazy people make a lot of noise and it sounds like they are the majority.
fantastic……both of them are from my country “Taiwan”.
I am so proud of them!!!!!!
Go !Taiwan Go!
Go! Yankees Go!