Tampa, FL – The New York Yankees have brought back a familiar face, signing pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to a minor league contract.
Wang, who turns 33 at the end of the month, broke into the majors with the Yankees in 2005 and spent five years in pinstripes. He missed the 2010 season recovering from shoulder surgery and pitched the past two years with the Washington Nationals.
The right-hander won 19 games in 2006 and 2007 for the Yankees, but a foot injury he suffered while running the bases in an interleague game during the 2008 season derailed his career.
After the shoulder surgery, the Nationals took a chance and Wang appeared in 21 games over two seasons. He was 2-3 with a 6.68 ERA in 10 games, including five starts, last year.
Wang did not find a team this offseason and pitched for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic. He threw a total of 12 shutout innings in starts against Australia and Japan.
In 109 games as a Yankee, Wang has a record of 55-26 with a 4.16 ERA.
From 2006-08 with New York, Wang was 46-15 and trailed only Roy Halladay (52) and Josh Beckett (48) for most wins by an American League pitcher in that three-year period.
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