洋基官網對王建民的報導!!
頭段大概就是說, 六個月前, 應該沒有任何人能夠想像, 竟然有人超越了Randy Johnson 或 Mike Mussina 取得了季後賽先發的位置!....其他的就請自行看看囉, 當作英文閱讀練習~
Expected or not, Wang takes ace role
NEW YORK -- Six months ago, it would be hard to have imagined anybody other than Randy Johnson or Mike Mussina getting the nod in Game 1 of the Yankees' postseason.
But when the first pitch is thrown at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, it will come out of the hand of Chien-Ming Wang, New York's unlikeliest of aces.
"I would never think that," Wang said. "I was surprised."
Surprised, but not nervous. At least Wang doesn't think he will be when he takes the mound.
"In the field, no; in here, yes," quipped Wang in front of a packed press gathering.
Even Joe Torre admitted that he wouldn't have envisioned such a scenario before the season.
"I don't think we could have ever dreamed that would be the case," Torre said. "The big part of it is his personality and confidence in himself."
Given that the team nixed Wang's involvement in the World Baseball Classic because of concerns over his right shoulder -- which caused him to miss two months in the second half of 2005 -- it was unthinkable that he would turn into the staff's workhorse.
But that's precisely what happened, as Wang led the Yankees in innings pitched (218) and wins in just his second season. With a 19-6 record and 3.63 ERA, Wang posted the best season of any Yankees starter, earning his Game 1 assignment.
"We always thought he had great stuff -- it was just a matter of having a little better command of the strike zone and not putting himself in tough counts," Mussina said. "He's been able to do that. He does what he needs to do to win ballgames."
Wang, one of only two pitchers in the Majors to record 19 victories this season, will be making his second career postseason start on Tuesday. The Yankees went 22-11 in his 33 starts this season, giving his teammates tremendous confidence in him when he takes the hill.
"He's been our savior," said catcher Jorge Posada. "He's stayed consistent, he's stayed healthy, and for me, he's the Cy Young Award winner."
Wang may not finish at the top of the Cy Young vote, as Minnesota's Johan Santana -- his opponent in Game 1 and the Majors' other 19-game winner -- will likely take home the award for the second time in his career. But Wang and his teammates aren't concerned with individual awards as much as winning the World Series.
"We've leaned on him all year, and he's come up big for us," Derek Jeter said. "We just want him to continue what he's been doing, not try to change anything. If he can do that, I like our chances with him on the mound."
Starting Wang in Game 1 makes perfect sense, given his 11-3 record and 3.03 ERA at Yankee Stadium this season. Should the series go the distance, Wang would also be lined up to pitch Game 5 in the Bronx on Sunday.
Of course, he also went 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts in domed stadiums, so there wasn't a bad spot in which to line up the right-hander. His only outing against the Twins in 2006 came at the Metrodome on April 16, when he held Minnesota to one earned run over seven innings to earn his first victory of the season.
When pitching coach Ron Guidry informed Wang last week that he would be starting the postseason opener, the 26-year-old right-hander took the news as though Guidry had just told him that he would be throwing a bullpen in an hour.
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