Womack, Wang spark Yanks to 'W' - 棒球

NEW YORK -- Tony Womack's ninth-inning single with the bases loaded Saturday gave the Yankees a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays, snapping the Bombers' three-game losing streak.
Womack's dart into right field off reliever Vinnie Chulk (0-1), making a winner out of a resurfaced Mariano Rivera, was the last act, snapping a 3-3 tie.

But there was little question at Yankee Stadium to whom the first seven acts belonged: Chien-Ming Wang, whose Major League debut left everyone begging, and waiting, for an encore.

"The kid pitched really well. It has to go a long way toward his next start," said a grateful Joe Torre, who called the 25-year-old Taiwanese's debut stronger than any other he could recall during his first nine years at the Yankees' helm.

"We haven't seen one like it since I've been here. Even when he got into a little trouble, he wiggled off. He didn't do anything wrong."

Except, leave. Wang held the Blue Jays to six varied hits and two runs through seven innings, then was told to give up the ball.

The Jays, thereafter, completed their comeback from 0-3 on Corey Koskie's one-out homer in the eighth off Tom Gordon, pulling them into a 3-3 tie and spoiling Wang's effort.

Not that you could read it on his face afterwards. Actually, you couldn't read anything on the face of the calm, composed youngster -- before, during or after his performance.

His eyes definitely are not a window into his soul.

"I did feel a little nervous in the first inning, then I started to feel more at ease," said Wang, the first Yankees rookie pitcher to bow with a start in Yankee Stadium since Bret Jodie, on July 20, 2001, also against the Blue Jays.

In that "nervous" first, Wang retired the Blue Jays on six pitches. He went on to mow down the first 10 men he faced, a spell broken by Orlando Hudson's infield single, and allowed six hits and two runs in seven economical innings. Wang needed only 81 pitches in an outing most remarkable for his lack of a strikeout.

"But he's very sneaky. His fastball jumps, and he jammed a lot of people and broke a lot of bats," Torre said. "His delivery may be deceptive because it's so deliberate."

The 47,483 in Yankee Stadium got soaked, but not the Yankees braintrust which had high hopes for Wang, trusting that his Minor League successes would translate to the Majors.

The organization's Pitcher of the Year in 2004 and off to a 2-0 start in Columbus this season, Wang appeared to have Toronto batters off balance, swinging off their front feet.

"This was my typical performance," he said. "Like I would pitch at Triple-A. I thought their hitters were pretty sticky."

Another pine tar controversy at Yankee Stadium? No, no. As his interpreter elaborated, "By that, he means they tried to analyze him, were rather persistent in trying to hit the ball."

No question, Blue Jays hitters began taking lustier swings and producing harder-hit balls after a couple of times around the lineup. But although suddenly surrounded by baserunners, Wang kept his composure -- and his lead.

"I felt OK," he said, despite the most earnest prodding of journalists from his country. "My straight ball and curve ball ... I felt pretty good about them today."

Wang -- who has a long-term reservation in the New York rotation with Jaret Wright expected to miss five more weeks with his sore shoulder -- topped the feel-good charts on the last day of April.

Another positive was clutch hitting. David Bush and his relief gave the Yankees few scoring chances, but they maximized the opportunities.

The epilogue belonged to Womack, who followed a bases-loading intentional walk of pinch-hitter Jorge Posada with his game-winning single.

"I wanted to make him get the ball up," Womack said of Chulk. "We've all been grinding. But we're still there. Time to turn the page."

Alex Rodriguez set up the Yankees' second last at-bat win of the season by drawing a four-pitch leadoff walk. He was forced on a bunt by Andy Phillips, who motored to third on Tino Martinez's single before Posada was walked intentionally to load the bases for Womack.

Then there was Rivera (2-1), who worked a perfect ninth in his first appearance in nine days. And that prior April 21 sighting in Toronto had come after an earlier lull of eight days.

"I was surprised that his command was so good. Aside from being ill [Thursday and Friday], he hadn't pitched for a week before that. I was surprised how sharp he was," Torre said.

The Yankees jumped into a 2-0 lead in the first inning, before Bush got his bearings.

Derek Jeter led off with a single and, running on the pitch, scored all the way from first base as Bernie Williams caromed a single off the glove of Hudson. After advancing on another single by Gary Sheffield, Williams scored as Hideki Matsui bounced into a double play.

Rodriguez led off the fourth with his ninth homer -- and fifth in five games -- for a 3-0 lead.

The Blue Jays cut into that with a powder-puff rally in the fifth, scoring two runs driven in by Russ Adams' infield grounder and Frank Catalanotto's infield single.


--