Yankees cut ties with oft-injured Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang

Heartbreaking. It's easy to forget that Wang was the winningest pitcher in the AL from 2006 through mid-2008, when he went down with a foot injury and then re-injured his already-surgically-repaired shoulder due to mechanical problems stemming from that injury. The Yanks offered him a minor league contract, promising to promote him to the majors once he proved his shoulder was serviceable; he refused, with his agent suggesting that Wang was ready to "turn the page." Too bad: In his 2006-2007 prime, Wang had back to back 19-win seasons with sub-4.00 ERAs, and had established himself as the Yankees' ace. Now he'll look to prove that the Yanks' lack of faith in him (and his shoulder) was unwarranted.

I met him when he was a short-season rookie on the Staten Island Yanks—he seemed like a nice guy, albeit a little lost in his surroundings. The next year, he had to have arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder. In 2002, he returned to the SI Yanks and racked up the second-lowest ERA in the team's history. In 2007, after Wang's third season in the bigs, the SI Yanks retired his number—41.

Wang's number being retired:

Goodbye, Chien Ming, and good luck: We'll miss you.

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