Chien-Ming Wang earns solid win in rehab game

Hagerstown, Maryland, May 4 (CNA)
Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang of the Washington Nationals played an outstanding game Friday in his second minor league rehab start, leading the Hagerstown Suns to a 10-2 victory.

Wang threw 45 of his 65 pitches for strikes over six innings, giving up three hits and one walk and striking out seven to down the Rome Braves.

The 32-year-old was efficient in the third inning, taking out three batters with only seven balls, but surrendered a home run in the fifth inning.

Asked how he compared his current form with the peak of his career with the New York Yankees, he said his pitching speed has not returned to the level he used to have and that he still needs to get prepared for stronger batters.

Wang threw only 49 balls in his first rehabilitation game in late April. The Nationals asked him to pitch an extra 15 balls in the bullpen after he walked off the mound Friday in order to have him pitch at least 75 balls that day as the team had planned.

According to the Nationals, Wang might only need one more start before returning to the major league, but will need to be able to throw 85 balls in a game.

Wang is still working to recover from a strained left hamstring he suffered in mid-March.

(By Chou Yung-chieh and Nell Shen)
ENDITEM/J