Yi-Cheng Wang

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Yi-Cheng Wang (王溢正) (Sister)

  • Bats Left, Throws Left
  • Height 6' 2", Weight 175 lb.

BR Register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Yi-Cheng Wang has pitched in Taiwan and Japan.

Wang pitched for Taiwan in the 2001 World Youth Championship. He allowed five runs in 7 1/3 IP in the 2009 World Port Tournament and remained with Taiwan for the 2009 Asian Championship. Wang had been on the La New Bears minor league team. In the 2009 Baseball World Cup, the southpaw was largely ineffective. He allowed 17 hits and 13 runs in 11 1/3 IP; his 12.27 ERA the worst on the Taiwanese staff. He pitched in 9 of Taiwan's 15 games. The Bears drafted him in the second round of the 2008 CPBL Draft.

The Yokohama BayStars signed Wang in 2010, for a reported $208,000. He was 0-2 with a 8.40 ERA in the minors that year but improved his ERA to 3.55 in 2011. In 2012, he got a shot in Nippon Pro Baseball. He was 0-4 with a 8.88 ERA in six starts for the BayStars that year, allowing 32 hits and 19 walks in 24 1/3 IP. Yokohama was not interested in giving him another shot and he returned to Taiwan.

In the 2013 World Baseball Classic, he was one of the least-effective hurlers. In his lone outing, against Cuba, he allowed three runs and retired no one. He relieved Yu-Ching Lin with a 7-0 deficit in the bottom of the 6th and the bases loaded. He allowed a 3-run double to José Miguel Fernández, Frederich Cepeda doubled and José Dariel Abreu homered for a 13-0 score. Jen-Ho Tseng relieved Wang.

Wang returned to the Lamigo Monkeys in Taiwan and was 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 8 starts in the 2013 CPBL. Wang was a regular starter for them in 2014, and he was 7-2 with a 3.64 ERA. He pitched 5 2/3 innings with 5 runs allowed (2 earned) in Game 2 of the 2014 Taiwan Series, and he outdueled Yu-Ching Lin of the CTBC Brothers. The Monkeys beat the Brothers in 5 games. Wang had a 11-5 record in 2015, but his ERA rose to 6.13. He was 3rd in wins (5 behind Jared Lansford and Mike Loree) and 6th in ERA (only 6 pitchers met the qualified number of innings in this season). Wang also attended the 2015 CPBL All-Star Game, and he pitched a shutout inning to get a save. In the 2015 Taiwan Series, when the Brothers only needed one more win to grab the title, Wang shut them out in Game 5 to help the Monkeys rally and win the title.

In 2016, Wang was 7-7 with a 6.85 ERA in 26 appearances. He was again selected into the 2016 CPBL All-Star Game, and he allowed a run in an inning as the starter. Wang improved to 9-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 2017, and he allowed a run in 2/3 of a inning in the 2017 CPBL All-Star Game. Wang was 8th in strikeouts (38 behind Loree) and 10th in ERA (2.42 behind Loree). He shined again in the 2017 Taiwan Series, pitching 6 innings with only a run allowed and got the win. The Monkeys beat the Brothers in 5 games.

Wang was 8-8 with a 4.25 ERA in 2018. He struck out 10 in 7 innings in 2018 Taiwan Series Game 4, and he got the win. That was the most Ks by a southpaw in a Taiwan Series, tying Enrique Burgos's record. Wang improved to 12-5 with a 4.54 ERA in 2019, and he pitched 2 shutout innings in 2019 CPBL All-Star Game 2. He was 6th in ERA (1.76 behind Loree), 2nd in wins (4 behind Radhames Liz) and 6th in strikeouts (66 behind Liz). The Monkeys named him the starter of the 2019 Taiwan Series Game 3, and he allowed 4 runs in 7 1/3 innings to get the win. It was his 5th win in the Taiwan Series, and he tied Luther Hackman to become the career wins leader of the Taiwan Series.

The veteran southpaw slumped to 10-6 with a 5.42 ERA in 2020, and he was 3rd in wins (6 behind Jose De Paula). He was moved to the bullpen in 2021, and he had a 5.98 ERA in 34 appearances. Wang bounced back in 2022, and he was 6-4 with a 3.84 ERA. He collected his 800th career strikeout against Su-Yi Lin on August 13, and he was the first left-handed pitcher to reach this milestone. He started in 2022 Taiwan Series Game 4, but he allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings and Che-Yuan Wu got the win over him. The Monkeys were swept by the Brothers. Wang only pitched 4 1/3 innings with a 6.23 ERA before the Monkeys traded him to the TSG Hawks for Wei-Chun Weng, Po-Jung Wang and Yin-Lun Lan for Tzu-Wei Lin.

Wang throws a slider, changeup and a fastball (peak speed 92 mph).

Sources[edit]

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