Yankees to lean heavily on a 'comfortable' Wang By Peter Abraham The Journal News March 2, 2008 CLEARWATER, Fla. - Chien-Ming Wang rented a small condominium in New Jersey the last two seasons, unconvinced that he had established himself with the Yankees enough to risk buying a house. Never mind that Wang finished second in the Cy Young Award voting in 2006. Or that he was Joe Torre's choice to start on Opening Day last season before a hamstring strain ruined those plans Wang's conservative nature told him to wait rather than make a purchase he would regret. But after winning 19 games last season and becoming the ace of a pitching staff that included Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina, Wang decided his pinstripes were permanent enough to buy a three-bedroom home just over the George Washington Bridge. Wang said his wife, Chia-ling, was in charge of buying and decorating the house. But he did get the billiards table he wanted and a big-screen television. "I feel this is home now," Wang said yesterday morning before he pitched two scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 9-3 victory. "I'm very comfortable." That was apparent yesterday. Outside of a double by Ryan Howard in the second inning, Wang was perfect. He induced four grounders and struck out one. His 24 pitches included three changeups, a pitch he plans to add to his repertoire this spring. Wang averaged about three changeups a start last season. The Yankees would like him to throw nine or 10, just enough to give opposing hitters something to think about. "It's important. We talked about it early," pitching coach Dave Eiland said. "He's got that sinker, which is very good, and his slider is good. We have to pitch off that; we have to change speeds so the hitters can't lock in on everything hard. "He threw a few good ones today. That's going to be one of our main objectives for him. You have to change speeds." Wang's primary pitch is a sinking fastball and it has served him well. He had a ground ball to fly ball ratio of 2.68 last season, one of the best in the game. But as he enters his fourth season in the majors, the right-hander has to make adjustments. Wang had a 5.23 ERA in 14 starts against teams in the American League East last season. He had a 2.58 ERA in his other 16 starts. Throwing more sliders and changeups should narrow that disparity. "Everything is hard, hard, hard, changeup is soft," Wang said. "I've got to get control of it first to use it in the season." The key to the changeup is deception. Wang throws the pitch with nearly the same grip and arm speed as his sinker. He has known how to throw the pitch for several years, but hasn't yet gotten completely comfortable with it. "It would be a devastating pitch for him," catcher Jose Molina said. "His sinker is so heavy that the hitters have to stay back on it to try and get a good piece of it. If they get that changeup they can't adjust. Nobody wants to face a sinker/slider pitcher who also has a changeup." New manager Joe Girardi doesn't want Wang to tinker too much with what has worked so well for him. But he has encouraged Wang to make the changes. "You expect people to get better every year," he said. "He's pretty good right now but you have to adjust a little bit. Obviously teams within your division, you have a chance to make four or five starts against them. You have to make adjustments because they will make adjustments to you." Barring another injury, Wang will be the Opening Day starter this season. After pitching two innings yesterday, he will pitch three against the Reds on Thursday, then progress from there. In a rotation heavy with questions, the Yankees are counting on Wang for at least 200 innings and another 15-20 victories. As Pettitte deals with distractions emanating from his relationship with Clemens, and Mussina faces his advancing age, Wang is expected to give the Yankees a chance to win every time he takes the mound. Like Torre, Girardi has come to appreciate Wang's reliability. Outside of handing him the ball every five days, Wang asks little of a manager, not even a conversation. "Some guys are more outgoing than others. That's just their personality. You just watch carefully how they're doing and how they go about their business," Girardi said. "There are those players you don't need to say much to. They just go out and do it. It's great." Reach Peter Abraham at [email protected] and read his Yankees blog at yankees.lhblogs.com. http://tinyurl.com/27lgxp --

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