[新聞] Kuo wants to perform like Wang

[xiemark (aisinjuro)]

KUO WANTS TO PERFORM LIKE WANG
By BRIAN LEWIS
October 5, 2006 -- Tom Glavine will take 290 career wins into tonight's NLDS
Game 2 start. Hong-Chih Kuo brings in a grand total of one.

But the Dodgers rookie can take heart in the fact his one came against the
Mets, and in the knowledge youth can be served in the playoffs. Just ask high
school teammate Chien-Ming Wang.

Both played for the same school in Tainan City, Taiwan; Wang the ace and Kuo
primarily an outfielder. Now, three elbow injuries, a position switch, and
one long, winding road later, Kuo, a 25-year-old lefty, will find himself
starting at Shea Stadium tonight, two days after Wang won ALDS Game 1 for the
Yankees across town.

"We're pretty good friends. I talked to him three days ago; just tell him
good luck, and he tells me the same thing," Kuo said. "He's one year older
than me. We're pretty close. When I was in the minor leagues, we've been
talking a lot, about the rehab stuff, I asked him how to throw the sinker, a
lot of stuff."

Oh, and there's been plenty of rehab stuff.

Hard-throwing Kuo signed in 1999 and got off to an auspicious start, fanning
seven of 10 batters in his Single-A debut the next April. Then he blew out
his elbow, needing Tommy John surgery.

Two more injuries and another Tommy John surgery convinced the Dodgers that
Kuo was too brittle to start, so he was converted to a reliever and finally
reached the majors last September. After going 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA, L.A. gave
up and sent him back to the minors to convert him back to a starter.

It worked brilliantly, allowing him the 20 minutes Kuo said he needs to warm
up, and the use of secondary pitches, his changeup and curveball. After being
recalled Aug. 30, he was 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA. His first start came Sept. 8
against the Mets, and he fanned seven in six shutout innings for a 5-0 win.

"He showed us the same thing he showed the whole world: He's not scared of
anyone," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "He's got good stuff, he
challenges the hitters, he works fast. That's all we're looking for."

Kuo said, "I just try to help the team, pitch like last time. They probably
didn't know how I throw. I was lucky. And I threw strikes; that's the key."

Being a lefty also is a key: The Mets' .254 average vs. lefties was the
second-worst in baseball.

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推 zebra01:有看有推
→ sanders:這篇是根據小小郭記者會整理的
推 lwei781:BS, Wang was never the ace, that would be Kuo