Yankees 1, Indians 0
Yanks' Youth Still Shines Amid Growing Power Shortage
By TYLER KEPNER Published: June 14, 2006
As the Yankees approach the July 31 trading deadline, teams will surely ask for Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano. They are young, inexpensive and productive — exactly the reasons the Yankees will not consider trading them.
When the Yankees needed to stop a four-game losing streak last night, Wang and Cano were the ones who did it. Wang allowed five hits over seven and a third innings, making Cano's home run stand in a 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium.
"For an organization that really didn't rely on them for some time," Manager Joe Torre said, "these two kids have really made a difference from last year to this year."
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When Wang pitches, Cano and the other infielders stay busy. Coming into the game, Wang averaged 3.02 ground balls for every fly ball, the third-best ratio in the American League. He pitched his typical game.
Three times, Wang retired the side in order on ground balls. But he made a mistake in the sixth, leaving a pitch up for Grady Sizemore to drive off the center-field fence. Torre said he thought it would be a homer.
"Probably in the middle of the summer, it would have been," Torre said. "But that's what happens with the sinker. Even when you're up a little bit, usually it's not on the fat part of the bat."
It was still troublesome, though. Sizemore moved to third after a running grab on the warning track in right field by Kevin Thompson, so Wang intentionally walked Travis Hafner to put runners at the corners.
Victor Martinez, who came into the game batting .400 in June, was the hitter, and Wang knew what catcher Jorge Posada wanted.
"Posada told me, 'Don't throw in the middle,' " Wang said. "So I stayed outside."
Martinez rolled a sinker to second, where Cano started an inning-ending double play. The Indians put one runner in scoring position the rest of the game, with one out in the eighth.
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For Wang, who beat the Red Sox with seven strong innings last Tuesday, it was another example of why he has become the Yankees' second-best starter, after Mike Mussina.
He improved to 7-2 this season and to 15-6 in his two-year major league career. Few pitchers throw as hard with as much downward movement on their pitches.
"Most guys, if they make it to second, they say how good he is," said Jeter, who returned to shortstop after missing six starts with a bruised thumb. "When he has his control and he's ahead of guys, he's tough."
With the struggling Randy Johnson starting tonight, it was imperative that Wang stop the losing streak. He may have been the perfect pitcher to do it. The Yankees had not won since his last start, and Wang is generally unflappable.
"Wang's got the same attitude and the same demeanor all the time," Jeter said. "Even when he pitches poorly or gets hit a lot, he's the same. That's how you have to be when you're pitching. You're going to have good days and bad days, but he's on an even keel all the time."
在七月三十一日球員交易期限之前，毫無疑問地，所有球隊將對洋基的王建民與Robinson Cano抱持高度的興趣。他們的共同點：年輕，價碼不高，不過卻物超所值。當然，這些因素同樣也是洋基隊對他們的交易案不予考慮的理由。
王建民，再加上與他同時升上大聯盟的好友Cano昨天聯手終止了洋基最近的四連敗。王建民主投七又三分之一局，僅被擊出五支安打，封鎖印地安人隊的攻勢；而在洋基隊豪華打線持續低迷的當下，Cano在六局下所擊出的陽春全壘打，更是洋基隊終場以一比零擊敗印地安人隊的致勝分。
總教練Joe Torre說，對從未想過有一天將倚靠新人取得勝利的球隊而言，這兩名新秀的表現確是今非昔比。
每當王建民上場投球，包含Cano在內的內野手心知肚明今天將會是忙碌的一天。到今天這場比賽為止，王建民所製造的滾地球出局數與飛球出局數的比是3.02，在美聯裡排名第三，而這場比賽可說是他的典型比賽。
以一比三的比例，王建民穩健地使打者擊出滾地球出局。不過，六局上，一個偏高的投球，被印地安人隊的Sizemore逮個正著，穿過中外野防線，Joe Torre暗叫不妙，他以為這是支全壘打。
「如果在盛夏（藉由風勢），它可能就是一發全壘打了。」Joe Torre表示：「不過，伸卡球的情況就是如此。即使只是稍微偏高一點兒，對打者來說也不好打。」
危機尚未解除，Sizemore藉由隊友右外野全壘打牆邊的高飛犧牲打站上三壘，王建民故意保送下一棒的Hafner，在一三壘有人的情形下，順利迫使印地安人隊的打擊者Martinez擊出雙殺打，結束此局。
對王建民而言，上週四剛歷經艱辛的七局擊敗波士頓紅襪隊，使他在Mike Mussina之後成為洋基隊賴以為重的第二號先發。本季到目前為止，他的戰績七勝二負，遠勝於目前二年職業生涯累計十五勝六負的戰績。很少有投手可以作到此點，在如此艱難的比賽中可以繼續投下去。
因拇指挫傷睽違六場比賽之後，昨日重返先發陣容的洋基隊長Jeter表示：「大部分成功渡過職棒第二年的人都會同意，王建民的確十分優秀。他有自己的節奏，且優於許多人，他很強。」
在正掙扎於低潮之中的Randy Johnson出賽前夕，無疑地，王建民能中止球隊的連敗記錄是極為重要的。他或許可稱得上是這項任務的最佳人選，因為自他上次拿下勝投之後，洋基隊就沒再拿下任何勝利了。不過，雖然在此壓力之下上場，王建民依然保持他冷靜不慌張的特性。Jeter形容：「王建民總是維持一貫的態度與舉止，即使投得爛斃了或是被轟得七葷八素，他還是面無表情。站上投手丘就當如此，不管好壞，他總是穩當地安坐船上渡過。」