Friday, February 19, 2010

Nationals to introduce Wang in Florida spring training

Taipei, Feb. 19 (CNA) The Washington Nationals of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) is scheduled to introduce Taiwanese pitcher Chien-ming Wang Saturday in Viera, Florida, the team's latest addition, according to the MLB Web site.

A news conference to announce Wang's signing is scheduled to take place at the Space Coast Stadium, the Nationals announced on its official Web site.

Octagon Baseball, the agency that represents Wang, confirmed Thursday that the former New York Yankee agreed to terms with Washington on a one-year, US$2 million contract with an incentive of up to US$3.2 million.

Nationals pitchers Brian Bruney, Tyler Clippard and Ron Villone, who all played with Wang in New York, are elated to learn about Wang being a teammate again, according to the MLB.

Wang will not be ready for opening day because he is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. He will not be able to pitch in the MLB until sometime in May.

However, his "new ex-teammates" are still confident in Wang, who is known for his hard sinker and who had a combined 38-13 record with a 3.67 ERA for the Yankees in 2006 and 2007.

"I saw him in 2007 at his best. He was contending for a Cy Young Award that year. He won 19 games in a couple of years. He is a great pitcher... and I am excited that we signed him, " Clippard was quoted as saying.

Bruney, a relief pitcher, said that anyone affiliated with the Nationals or a fan of the Nationals will be happy about Wang's performance, adding that "I would like to come in and get the win for him."

The 29-year-old's signing with Washington has been one of the biggest items of sports news in Taiwan during the nine-day Lunar New Year break. Fans are looking forward to Wang duplicating his peak performance before injury.

Wang has been plagued by injury in the past two seasons, during which he only pitched in a combined 27 games. In 2008, he did not pitch after the All-Star break because of foot problems. This past season, Wang had a shoulder injury and missed the Yankees' World Series run in October.