Full Name: Chien-Ming Wang
Born: 03/31/1980
Birthplace: Tainan, Taiwan
Height: 6′ 3″ Weight: 225
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
College: Taipei Physical Education College
MLB Debut: 04/30/2005
Chien-Ming Wang (traditional Chinese: pinyin: Wáng Jiànmín; born March 31, 1980 in Tainan, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese starting pitcher for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball. He was initially signed as an amateur free-agent for the 2000 season, playing for the Staten Island Yankees. He has come to be known as the Yankees ace pitcher over the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
In a New York Times interview, Wang revealed that he is the biological child of the man he formerly thought was his uncle. Due to the media frenzy created in Taiwan over this, Wang briefly refused to give interviews to Taiwanese media. Wang has also learned basic English and is able to give interviews to the American media without an interpreter. Wang currently resides in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Wang pitched for the Taiwan national baseball team in the 2002 Asian Games. In 2004, as the apparent ace of the staff, Wang led the Taiwan team to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Against Australia, he allowed just three hits with no walks, and at one point retired nine batters in row, to earn the win. He also limited Japan to just five hits in the first six innings; however, the Japanese rallied in the seventh inning against Wang to tie the game with three runs. Japan won the game, preventing Taiwan from advancing to the next round.
He is the third major leaguer from Taiwan, following Dodgers outfielder Chin-Feng Chen and Royals pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao. Since being called up to the majors, Wang has been idolized in Taiwan where all of his games are televised nationwide, many on public big screens to large audiences, even though he decided not to pitch in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Because of this popularity, he was named one of the Time 100 for 2007.
Source: Wikipedia