Wang Chien-ming won his fifth consecutive game to pitch the New York Yankees to a 1-0 road victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.
The Taiwanese right-hander (5-0), who is behind only Arizona’s Brandon Webb (6-0) for most victories in the majors, held Cleveland to four hits over seven innings while striking out a season-high nine and walking two.
“He has been huge for us all year long,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters. “He has pitched great. He knew what we needed and he gave it to us.”
Wang said he mixed up his pitches better than a year ago when he lost at Cleveland in the American League Division Series.
“Last year, I only threw a lot of sinkers without changing a lot of speeds,” he told reporters. “Today, I changed a lot of speeds.”
Girardi said Wang’s ability to mix his pitches had made him a more effective pitcher.
“He had a very good slider today, with his sinker as well,” the Yankees manager said. “He mixed in some change-ups and splits as well to the left-handers. I thought he had great depth on his slider, which kept the right-handers off balance.”
Melky Cabrera gave the Yankees the only run they needed with a solo homer in the fifth inning off C.C. Sabathia (1-4).
“I’ve been lucky that I have five homers so far,” Cabrera said. “I’m just paying attention to that I’m in the lineup every day.”
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Yankees, though they had to place starting catcher Jorge Posada on the disabled list with an injured right shoulder.
It is the first time Posada has been placed on the disabled list in his 13-year major league career.
“It’s the biggest disappointment of my career, probably,” Posada said. “Not being able to participate in games, it’s really tough for me. I thought it was coming along, but it’s not. We have to find out what’s really bothering me.”
Sabathia, last season’s American League Cy Young winner, pitched eight innings. He also gave up four hits, striking out eight and walking one.
“It’s definitely frustrating to lose,” said Sabathia. “We don’t get shut out very often, but Wang was good.”
Wang got help from Joba Chamberlain, who pitched a perfect eighth in his first appearance in Cleveland since Game 2 of last year’s playoffs when tiny insects swarmed him and the Yankees in the late innings.
Also See: AMERICAN LEAGUE: Torii Hunter lifts Angels over Tigers
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Some of Clearlake Capital Group’s largest investors are growing increasingly concerned about how much time the company’s co-founders are spending on sports investments as they have struggled to complete the fundraising for the private equity firm’s latest flagship fund. One of Clearlake’s co-founders, Behdad Eghbali, has been spending what some investors described as a disproportionate amount of time on the firm’s investment in Chelsea Football Club in recent months. Now, co-founder Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, are nearing a record US$3.9 billion deal to acquire the San Diego Padres. That personal investment by Feliciano has set off the latest
RSS