When Wang Chien-ming (王建民), the Taiwanese starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, returned home for a break at the end of the last US baseball season, local media were eager to ask him what his goal for this year would be.
A man known for giving short answers, Wang simply said the most important thing was "not to get hurt" and "just pitch." But now, Wang is having to confront his worst fear.
The New York Yankees issued an official statement yesterday saying that Wang is currently on the team's injured list. According to the statement, Wang suffered a strain of his right hamstring during a conditioning practice on Friday.
"I don't look for him [Wang] to touch our Major League roster until sometime in late April," said the Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman.
The injury means Wang will miss out on an opportunity to be the first Asian to be the Opening Day starter, in a game scheduled for April 2.
Wang said in a television interview that he felt sad about the unexpected setback but hoped he would recover from the injury soon so that he could return to the mound again.
Wang's misfortune means that another pitcher on the Yankee's roster will get the chance to throw the first pitch.
Yankees manager Joe Torre said that Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa and Jeff Karstens were potential candidates but of the three, Pavano was the "likely favorite," he said.
Wang, however, may not be the only starting pitcher from Taiwan forced to sit in the dugout at the start of the season.
A report in the Los Angeles Times on Saturday indicated that LA Dodgers starter Kuo Hong-chih (郭泓志) is unlikely to pitch again this spring as his left shoulder is showing signs of inflammation.
The pain in his shoulder looks likely to have played a role in a series of disappointing performances in this season's warm-up games.
Kuo has only recently recovered from "Tommy John" surgery, performed last year, otherwise known as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.
This is a surgical procedure in which a medial ligament in the elbow is replaced with a ligament from elsewhere in the patient's body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee or foot).
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS