Chien-Ming Wang’s next scheduled start is Wednesday against the lowly-thought-of Nationals, and it could be his last if he pitches below expectations.
An inexplicable start to the season caused rumors to fly about his offseason workouts or that his early-career success was just a fluke. When he returned in late May, he showed signs of returning to the old Wang, but another terrible start against the Red Sox brought back the negative rumors.
Luckily for Wang, he will have an inspiration in his next start. His wife Chia-Ling gave birth to Justin Jesse (7 pounds, 12 ounces). According to PeteAbe’s Taiwanese friends, “a new baby is supposed to bring good luck to the parents.” He will need it.
In the middle of Saturday’s game against the Mets, Joe Girardi answered questions from the Fox team about Wang. He said that he needs to pitch great, but then didn’t mention any possible consequences. But we can all infer that it his last chance, especially with Phil Hughes dominating in the bullpen.
