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Right-hander to get ball on Saturday against Toronto
NEW YORK -- Chien-Ming Wang learned that he would start for the Yankees this
Saturday when his manager at Triple-A Columbus, Bucky Dent, pulled him aside
on Tuesday to deliver the news that he was headed for the Bronx.
Wang, a 25-year-old right-hander from Taiwan, couldn't believe the news.
"I was so excited," Wang said through an interpreter. "I couldn't fall asleep
last night until 4 in the morning."
The lack of sleep didn't seem to bother him on Wednesday, as he arrived at
Yankee Stadium for his first day in the Majors, settling in to his locker,
where his No. 40 jersey was waiting for him.
Wang will take the ball on Saturday against the Blue Jays, stepping into the
rotation for Jaret Wright, who will miss four to six weeks with a shoulder
injury.
"We wanted to bring him ahead of time to give him a chance to settle in and
say his hellos," said manager Joe Torre. "When he pitches Saturday, hopefully
getting to the ballpark won't be an issue for him."
Wang went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA this spring for New York, then opened with a
2-0 mark and 4.15 ERA in four starts for Columbus this season.
"He seems to be unruffled out there," Torre said. "Of course, this is a
different situation than Tampa, Fla. He seems to have a great deal of
confidence and he knows what he's doing."
Wang, who features four pitches in his arsenal, believes that the pressure
that comes from playing with the Yankees won't be a factor for him.
"I'll try my best not to pressure myself. I don't feel now that it's too much
pressure," Wang said. "As soon as I step on the field, that pressure disappears."
"With his personality, I think he's going to go out there and compete like he
always does," said Andy Phillips, who has played with Wang in the Minors for
the past two years. "I think he's going to have a lot of fun out there."
A member of the Chinese Olympic baseball team in last summer's Olympics in
Athens, Wang has excelled in international competition. He was named the
Most Valuable Player for Taiwan in the 2002 Asian Games.
"I do feel that my past experiences on the international sports arena help
a little," Wang said, "but the audience is different. Everything is different."
New role for Andy: Phillips was in the lineup for a third consecutive game on
Wednesday, but the youngster was not as first base as he had been on Sunday
and Tuesday. Instead, Torre slotted Phillips in as the Yankees' designated
hitter, starting Tino Martinez at first and benching Jason Giambi.
"Tino's a better defender at first base," Torre said. "I had to make a choice
between Jason and Tino, and Tino hadn't played for a few days. We try to keep
everybody game-ready."
In his first two starts, Phillips is 3-for-9 with two doubles, a home run,
four RBIs and three runs scored.
"We're going to take a look at the kid," Torre said. "He's swinging the bat
real well right now. He hasn't done anything wrong. We're going to see what
we have here."
Phillips also changed his uniform number before Wednesday's game, switching
from No. 39 to 18.
Ruben recovering: Ruben Sierra, on the disabled list with a partial tear of
his right biceps muscle, hit off a tee in the batting cage on Wednesday, his
first baseball-related activity since suffering the injury last week.
"It has improved a lot," Sierra said. "I think I'll be playing sooner than
I thought. As soon as my body feels good, I'll be out there."
Sierra was expected to miss about four weeks with the injury, and Torre said
Wednesday that the team would not rush his return.
"We still have to be patient with him," Torre said.
Sturtze schedule: Tanyon Sturtze (strained left oblique) will throw his second
bullpen session on Thursday, then head to Tampa on Friday, where he will pitch
an inning in a Minor League rehab game on Saturday.
Assuming that Sturtze comes through that game without any problems,
he will throw two or three innings in a rehab game on Monday,
then join the Yankees next Wednesday or Thursday.
On deck: The Yankees and Angels finish off their three-game series on Thursday
night in the Bronx, as Kevin Brown takes on John Lackey.
Brown has been hit hard in his first two starts of the season, giving him seven
losses in his last eight decisions.
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