It was not supposed to be that way -- two rookies teaming up to deliver a close win for a much storied baseball franchise like the New York Yankees (41-39), the same Yankees that had acquired the services of several former league MVP's and Cy Young winners.
But rookie infielder Robinson Cano and Taiwan's own Wang Chien-ming (王建民) outshined their multi-millionaire teammates in a 1-0 shutout win over the Detroit Tigers on the road to keep the Yankees above the .500 mark on Sunday.
Wang (5-3), who left the game with a 1-0 lead after allowing five hits over seven shutout innings, was relieved by set-up man Tom Gordon in a perfect eighth, before ace closer Mariano Rivera preserved the low-scoring victory for the Bronx Bombers by retiring the final three Tigers batters in the ninth inning.
It was not his best pitching performance by any means as far as his ability to keep the number of base runners to a minimum, but Wang managed to get out of several serious jams by holding Detroit to 0-for-7 hitting with runners in scoring position, while also getting some timely help from his defense, which turned two double plays for his fifth win of the season.
He also beaned three Tigers batters while issuing one walk on a day where the ball seemed to have a mind of its own.
The Taiwanese wonder, nevertheless, still won the praise of the Yankees' skipper.
"I can't think of any other pitcher with that kind of poise with that little experience," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He [Wang] doesn't surprise me anymore. When we write his name down [on the pitching roster], we know we don't have to worry about him."
The 1-0 win marked the first time in 28 chances where the Yankees had scored three runs or fewer and still came out ahead.
The last time that these Yankees were able to pull off a regular-season win when scoring three runs or fewer was in a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the final game of last season.
Cano backed up his rookie buddy on the mound with a leadoff double in the fourth, and reached home on the ensuing play when Gary Sheffield slapped a single up the middle off Tigers starter Nate Robertson for the lone run of the contest.
It was a nice piece of hitting by the left-handed Yankees rookie, who hacked away at a high pitch from Robertson (also left-handed) to the opposite field for a rare double by a left-hander against Robertson.
The Tigers had their chances against Wang and the two other New York pitchers, but failed to come up with the clutch hits, stranding 10 runners with seven of them in scoring position, wasting another quality start by Robertson in a complete-game effort, as he dropped to 0-4 at home this season despite a 2.56 ERA.
Also see story:
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS