Wang, in Spring Debut, Passes Test vs. Braves

That's why Wang could be the difference between good and great.

王建民將是本季洋基先發投手群整體考績究竟是"甲"還是"優"的關鍵所在！



紐約郵報記者George A. King III在本月三號

一篇名為"Wang, Sabathia Grab Spotlight for Yankees"的報導中曾如此宣告...



雖然目前大多數人對邪惡帝國的目光焦點都落在剛剛確定要進行手術的A-Rod身上

不過小王在今年春訓二度在熱身賽中登板的新聞卻沒有因此被淹沒

(紐約時報的文章中誤將本場比賽當作小王在熱身賽中的首次登板)

紐約時報記者Joe Lapointe就在今天（3/8）的體育版中

發表了一篇以小王為主角、除了再度強調小王對於洋基本季表現的重要性、

更同時比較小王和A-Rod在人格特質上有著如何極端差異的文章



能和A-Rod被放在同一篇文章中討論、

甚至還被執筆的記者賦予了相對於被日趨妖魔化的A-Rod的天使形象

雖然小王從來沒有在A-Rod坦承使用禁藥後公開對這位明星三壘手做出批評

但是Joe Lapointe利用小王少說多做、遠離是非的個性來對比A-Rod近日的表現

在稱讚小王的同時似乎也狠狠地打了A-Rod一巴掌...



即便小王在三局的投球中因為一顆明顯失投的變速球被Casey Kotchman咬中

讓洋基在首局結束後就以一分落後給勇士隊

但小王瑕不掩瑜的投球內容、尤其是在一、三兩局各一次的精彩下丘守備

還是讓他得到了新隊友Mark Teixeira的高度讚賞



"There aren’t many pitchers who can make that play. He did a perfect job."

Teixeira針對小王的守備如此評論道



當然對於總教練Joe Girardi和洋基球團來說

能看到小王沒有障礙地移動右腳完成守備動作

才是真正讓他們感到欣慰之處

不過對於對手可能會大量使用觸擊方式來挑戰小王剛剛傷癒的右腳

感到無奈的Girardi也只能祈禱小王能透過一次次的優異守備來證明自己、

進而打消對手想針對其可能弱點攻擊的念頭



"I still worry about it,” Girardi said. When asked if opponents would continue to test Wang with bunts, Girardi said, “He might have to prove himself."



除了小王主投三局失一分、面對12個打者所投出的33球中有27個好球、

同時還三振兩位勇士打者的表現讓他贏得讚賞外

他即便沈默寡言、但對記者的採訪永遠保持友善開放態度的個性

在A-Rod的新聞持續佔據紐約媒體頭版的現在

更讓隨隊採訪洋基的紐約時報記者Joe Lapointe不吝稱讚



Wang, conversely, makes few waves. In the clubhouse, he is almost always approachable. He tends to answer in short sentences in a soft voice after long pauses. He smiles. Although Wang’s English has improved, he has little to say in any language.



記者也針對中華隊在世界棒球經典賽中敗給中國而慘遭淘汰一事詢問小王的意見

小王除了再次表達自己想要為國效力的意願

也提出了他對於中華隊的期許



"I really wanted to play; it’s really hard for me,” Wang said. “I still need to do some work with the Yankees. Chinese Taipei needs a lot of baseball knowledge to learn and improve."



不知是不是因為不忍親口苛責中華隊

這也是整個採訪過程中小王唯一透過翻譯幫他回答的問題...



以下為報導全文...





Wang, in Spring Debut, Passes Test vs. Braves



By JOE LAPOINTE

Published: March 8, 2009 / The New York Times



With no decision made in the Alex Rodriguez medical matter, the mood around the Yankees returned to normal somewhat Saturday. Some of the highlights came from the right arm and right foot of starter Chien-Ming Wang.



Rodriguez, the slugging third baseman, is mulling the possibility of surgery to correct a torn labrum in his right hip, a procedure that could keep him out of action for four months. He remained in Vail, Colo., to consult with a surgeon and to undergo tests.



Wang is coming back from missing the second half of the 2008 season with a severe injury to his right foot. His performance Saturday was as comforting as the balmy weather as he pitched three sharp innings and fielded his position crisply.



“I feel fine, good, I’m running and I’m not feeling anything,” Wang said after the Atlanta Braves beat the Yankees, 3-1, in an exhibition at Steinbrenner Field. “No problem.”



Wang was challenged in the first inning when the Braves’ leadoff hitter, Josh Anderson, dropped a long bunt to the right side. Wang scooped up the ball on the run and flipped it quickly with his glove to first baseman Mark Teixeira to retire Anderson by a step.



In the third inning, Casey Kotchman of the Braves also forced Wang to run to his left, ripping a hopper to the right of Teixeira. As Teixeira fielded the ball, Wang raced to cover the bag. He caught Teixeira’s throw in stride, retiring Kotchman.



Wang said he did not think about the old injury on those plays, but Manager Joe Girardi did.



“I still worry about it,” Girardi said. When asked if opponents would continue to test Wang with bunts, Girardi said, “He might have to prove himself.”



Teixeira, referring to Wang’s play on the bunt, said: “There aren’t many pitchers who can make that play. He did a perfect job.”



Among Atlanta’s three hits, the only one that damaged Wang was Kotchman’s solo home run in the first inning. Wang said it came on a changeup that, because of poor delivery, stayed up. The ball landed over the right-field fence.



Wang threw 33 pitches, 27 of them strikes, and faced 12 batters, striking out two and walking none.



Despite the strikes, he said he was not happy with his control because “everything was down the middle.”



Wang struck out Anderson swinging in the third inning on a changeup (his “bei-su chou”). He has worked on the pitch in camp, along with a slider, to add to his trademark sinker.



“His slider made a lot of progress last year,” Girardi said, adding that it bit in the opposite direction of his sinker.



Wang sustained the injury to his right foot — a sprained ligament and a torn tendon —while running the bases at Houston on June 15. Wang won that game and finished the season at 8-2 to raise his career record to 54-20.



If Wang had played in the current World Baseball Classic, he would have represented Taiwan. Rodriguez would have played for the Dominican Republic. The men’s personalities are about as different they can be.



Rodriguez tends to generate controversy. He recently acknowledged having used performance-enhancing substances. He makes himself available to reporters in limited fashion and often refuses to answer specific questions.



Rodriguez’s words are often dissected for hints of ulterior meaning. Some took his praise of the Dominican shortstop and leadoff hitter José Reyes of the Mets a few days ago as an implied criticism of his Yankees teammates Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon.



Wang, conversely, makes few waves. In the clubhouse, he is almost always approachable. He tends to answer in short sentences in a soft voice after long pauses. He smiles. Although Wang’s English has improved, he has little to say in any language.



Most of his answers Saturday were in English, but he used an interpreter when asked about his national team being eliminated from the Classic by China.



“I really wanted to play; it’s really hard for me,” Wang said. “I still need to do some work with the Yankees. Chinese Taipei needs a lot of baseball knowledge to learn and improve.”