While that may be the dirtiest post title I've ever used, it correctly sums up how good it was to see Chien-Ming Wang throw a complete game one day after a starter was removed after five innings for no good reason.
I saw very little of the game, sadly, and am just catching up with the replay now. From a glance at the box score, though, it seems that Damon's bat is holding up better than his fielding ability and Bobby Abreu may just have a productive season yet. Jorge Posada also had his, count it, 21st double.
The caveat? Chicago can't hit a lick. But a win is a win, and Wang, amazingly, had his lowest pitch count (104) of his last four starts.
Plus, how nice is it when Alex Rodriguez has two RBIs and it's just another day at the office.
Labels: Yankees
I'm back!
Another start and another great outing by Wang. The only team that seems to get good swings against him are the Red Sox, a team full of great low ball hitters. The White Sox, who are just terrible at the moment, looked really uncomfortable and it showed.
I don't know if anyone has noticed, since he still flys under the radar due to low strikeout totals, but Wang has by far the best winning percentage among starters 27 and younger. At 32-15 (.681) only CC Sabathia (90-57, .612) is anywhere close. Granted Wang made his debut at 25, but it is still interesting. I still believe if Hughes turns into what everyone wants/hopes/thinks he can be, the Yankees can have a dynamic homegrown 1-2 combo to open the new stadium and for years to come.
Anyways, back to the present, it's nice to see the Yankees let Wang go deeper into games this year. Already he averages 99.7 P/GS this season and that includes a pair of shorter outings when he first came of the DL. Last year he averaged only 92.3 P/GS.
A-Rod is stinging the ball again and that is always a good sign. He seems to have the confidence he had at the beginning of the season back. The line drive, um single, off the wall was as hard as you can hit a ball.
Finally, I have to show some love for Cairo. You can give me all the terrible statistics you want, but he does not hurt his team when he's in the lineup. To go along with his above average defense at seemingly every position, he battles through at-bats and moves runners, pretty much everything you can ask for out of a utility guy.