Chien-Ming Wang brings international attention to Louisville

Baseball may be America’s pastime, but as more and more Asian players have come over to the United States to play professionally, it has grown into an obsession of sorts across the Pacific as well.

Japan has gotten most of the attention as a baseball-crazed nation thanks to the stars that they have sent to Major League Baseball. Yankee outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and Rangers ace Yu Darvish are just a couple of Japanese stars gracing Major League diamonds this season.

While Japan has earned its place as a powerful baseball nation ( it has won two World Baseball Classic titles and three Olympic medals), Taiwan has sent players to Major League Baseball as well. The most notable? Current Bats pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.

Wang has battled injury issues of late, but was once one of the game’s top pitchers. With the New York Yankees in 2006, he went 19–6 and finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting behind Johan Santana. He would win 19 games again in 2007 before injuries took their toll. Nevertheless, Wang has pitched in the Major Leagues for part of each of the last ten seasons and remains a major figure in his native Taiwan.

Members of the Taiwanese media were in Louisville this weekend to keep tabs on Chien-Ming, and he was recently featured in the China Times. Pictures below show Wang in action during the Bats’ 12–4 victory over the Columbus Clippers on Thunder Day (Thunder Over Louisville fireworks also pictured). The drill using a towel in workouts was introduced to Wang by fellow Bats pitcher Chad Reineke.