Taiwanese pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建民) on Sunday said that his return to Major League Baseball after an absence of nearly three years was a dream come true.
“I’m just doing my utmost and trying my best to return to the path I chose,” Wang said at a news conference at the Kansas City Royals’ home stadium, at which he confirmed that he was returning to the majors after his non-roster spring training with the Royals.
Speaking with reporters from Taiwan, the right-hander, who was an ace with the New York Yankees before he was injured in 2008, stressed the importance of being oneself.
Photo: John Sleezer / The Kansas City Star via AP
“Be yourself, stick to your own beliefs and realize your own dreams,” he said. “Don’t give up simply because of what people say. Just carry on.”
Wang, 36, was added to the Kansas City Royals’ 25-man roster in a surprise pick on opening day, the Kansas City Star reported.
“It’s just unreal,” Wang told reporters. “Even now, after all I know, it seems unreal to me.”
Asked whether he was excited about returning to the major leagues, Wang said his efforts had paid off and he was happy when he was informed on Friday last week of the pick.
“I hope I can use this opportunity to remain in the major leagues,” he said.
Wang said that as a relief pitcher, he has to maintain a state of readiness.
The “soft-tossing right-hander made the most of his non-roster invite to the Royals’ spring training,” producing a 2.40 ERA and a 9-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 15 innings, the Kansas City Star said.
“Wang demonstrated a big boost in velocity this spring — he went from 88-89mph [142-143kph] last year in the minors to 94-95mph [151-153kph] this spring, an increase he attributed to a mechanical change in his delivery he learned last off-season at the Texas Baseball Ranch,” an article on the Royals Web site read.
“He looks like the same guy I had with the Yankees 10 years ago,” Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland was quoted as saying in the article.
Royals manager Ned Yost said it was not a difficult decision to put Wang on the roster.
“Wang is an amazing competitor,” Yost said at the news conference. “Wang’s presence will make the Royals’s bullpen better.”
“He’ll start out in the bullpen. We really like his sinker,” Yost said in the article. “We envision him being a fifth or sixth or seventh-inning guy, especially if we need a double play. He’s got a lot of action on that sinker.”
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
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
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