Wang Chien-ming (王建民) recorded his 18th win with the New York Yankees' 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Friday night.
With the win, Wang ties Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins for the major league lead. Both Wang and Santana have an 18-6 record. Wang also tied the record for Asian Major League pitchers set by South Korean pitcher Park Chan-ho when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2000.
Park scored his 18th win in the 34th game of that season, while Wang reached it in his 33rd game of this season -- giving him a real chance to become the record holder for Asian pitchers.
After the game, Wang said that he was very happy, but that his ultimate goal was to help the Yankees win the World Series.
Wang threw seven innings in just 82 pitches, allowing six hits and one run, lowering his ERA to 3.57.
He began the first inning by allowing a lead-off homer to Rocco Baldelli, but then regained his stability, which together with great defense play from Derek Jeter saved the situation.
Wang later said that he had a bad feeling during his warm-up, and that he never was able to focus his power when he pitched.
In the dugout after the first inning, pitching coach Ron Guidry and catcher Jorge Posada told Wang to slow down his pace when pitching. In the second inning, Wang did much better, but in the sixth, he was moving too fast again and almost gave up a run.
Wang said after the game that he played much better during the previous game, and that if it hadn't been for his teammates playing a great defensive game, he would never have gotten his 18th win.
"I really should thank my teammates," he said.
Also see story:
Clutch hitting propels A's closer to a title
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft