Chien-Ming Chiang

From BR Bullpen

姜建銘 Jiang Jianming 14497922768 3658faf954 h.jpg

Chien-Ming Chiang (姜建銘)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Chien-Ming Chiang pitched and played in the NPB, CPBL and for Taiwan's national team.

In high school, Chiang was timed at 92 mph after being converted from catcher. He had a particularly abusive experience when he threw 36 innings in a four-day span, totaling 445 pitches. In the 2004 World University Championship, Chiang pitched for Taiwan. He pitched 13 2/3 innings with 3 runs allowed. Chiang made his debut with the Taiwan senior national team in the 2005 Asian Championship and 2005 Baseball World Cup. In the latter event, he was 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA, beating Australia. He allowed 3 home runs and struck out 9 in 11 1/3 innings. His international performance that year impressed the Yomiuri Giants, who signed him.

Chiang was Taiwan's least-effective hurler against China in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He relieved Wei-Lun Pan in the 5th inning and allowed two runs in two innings in a 12-3 win. In the 6th inning, Guangbiao Liu doubled and Yufeng Zhang walked before Wei Wang hit a 2-run double. In the 2006 Asian Games, Chiang helped Taiwan win its first Gold in the history of the event. Chiang made his Nippon Pro Baseball debut in 2006, going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 10 games, walking 7 and allowing a .223 average in 59 2/3 innings.

The Taipei native began 2007 in the Yomiuri rotation but struggled and moved to the bullpen. He was 2-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 17 games, showing worse control (13 BB in 41 2/3) and allowing more hits (.274 average). Chiang was with Taiwan for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, helping them win a spot in the 2008 Olympics. Chiang was 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. He got the victory against the Spanish national team. Against Canada, he entered in the 10th of a 5-5 game but allowed a Matt Rogelstad single and Jimmy Van Ostrand double to lose it. He then threw six shutout innings for the win over the South African national team. He tied Paul Mildren and André Hughes for third in strikeouts, well behind Francisco Campos (22) and Min-han Son (16). He tied Steve Green, Alexandre Periard, Scott Richmond, Son, Kwang-hyun Kim and Chien-Fu Yang for the most wins; like Periard, he got the advantage of facing the tournament's two worst teams. Chiang has also learned Japanese rapidly.

Chiang only pitched 2 games in the NPB Farm League in 2008, and the Giants released him. He then decided to joined the CPBL, and the Sinon Bulls drafted him in the 9th round of the 2008 CPBL Draft. Chiang had a 6.51 ERA in 9 games in 2009, and he recorded a 4.00 ERA in 18 games in 2010. The Bulls released him after the 2010 season, and his professional career ended. He then became a position player again. He also represented Taiwan in the 2018 Haarlem Baseball Week and the 2018 Asian Games. In the Asian Games, he hit a triple against Hyeon-jong Yang of South Korea, and he scored the winning run on Chia-Yu Lin's 2-run homer. He also hit a clutch RBI double against Quan Gan of China. Chiang retired as a player in 2021.

Overall, Chiang was 6-6 with a 3.63 ERA, struck out 77 and pitched 144 innings in 5 seasons in the CPBL and NPB.

Chiang's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 93.2 mph, a slider, cutter, curveball, sinker and shuuto.

Sources[edit]

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