Taiwanese pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建民) said through his agents yesterday that he can still pitch and would continue to seek opportunities in the US after being released by the Atlanta Braves on Friday last week.
“[My release] is the reality of professional sports,” Wang said in a statement.
“As long as I can pitch, I want to challenge myself,” he said.
Wang said he had signed a contract with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, who are part of an independent baseball league that is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, and is set to start for the team tomorrow.
The 35-year-old right-hander seemed well aware that the move could be his last stop in a professional baseball journey that had shown tremendous promise and given him hero status in Taiwan before being derailed by injuries.
“I don’t know if I can return to the major leagues, but I know I love baseball. I realize that as a 35-year-old pitcher with a history of injury, I have to work twice as hard to have a chance,” he said.
Wang was a star player with the New York Yankees from 2005 to 2008, going 54-20 with a 3.79 ERA, but he suffered an injury to his foot while running the bases in Houston in a game against the Astros that started his slide.
While recovering from the foot injury in 2009, he hurt his arm, ending his career with the Yankees.
He then attempted a comeback with the Washington Nationals in 2011 and 2012, and seemed in position to return to the major leagues with an impressive showing for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic in 2013.
Wang signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 and had three good outings after being called up to the big league team in June that year.
However, he was sent back down to the minors after struggling in his next three appearances.
He played for the Triple-A teams of the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox last year, but he was not called up by either major league team while going 13-8 with a 4.13 ERA in the season.
Wang was signed by the Atlanta Braves to a minor league contract in November last year, but performed poorly for the club’s Triple-A team this year, slumping to a 2-6 record with an ERA of 6.10, leading to his release.
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