王建民重拾伸卡，帶領國民力克小熊 - 棒球

Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, Wang ditched his attempt at reinvention and
crafted perhaps the most promising game of this Washington Nationals season.
In a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs, Wang carried a no-hitter into the
sixth inning, allowing only an infield single in his six scoreless innings.
In his third start since returning from a torn capsule in his right shoulder
and the massive surgery it required, Wang earned his first major league win
since June 28, 2009.

星期二晚上在瑞格里球場，王重新展現企圖心，呈現了也許是這個賽季中華盛頓國民
最佳的一面。這場以3-1擊敗芝加哥小熊的勝利中，王帶著無安打紀錄來到第六局，在
六局的投球中只被擊出一支內野安打。在右肩關節囊受傷與其所需的大型手術後，王建民
贏得自2009年6月28號以來的首勝。

“For me, it means a lot, because it’s been two years,” Wang said through
an interpreter. “It’s not a short time.”

「這勝利對我來說意義重大，畢竟都過了兩年，」透過口譯員，王如此表示。「這時間
很漫長。」

Wang’s performance hinged on him finding what made him so dominant in his
best seasons. He largely abandoned, to great effect, any pitch other than his
sinker, the pitch he threw insistently at his peak, the weapon made him one
of the best pitchers in baseball. Wang threw 66 of out of 81 pitches. The
results were familiar — he recorded 11 groundball outs, Cubs batters
drilling sinkers into the dirt in front of home plate.

找回他最佳球季中的優勢，成了王有所表現的因素。為了尋求壓制力，除幫助他成為棒球
界頂尖球員、在高峰時使用的伸卡球外，他大幅壓低了其他球種的使用。在81個投球數中
，伸卡就佔了66球。結果是令人熟悉的，他製造了11個滾地出局，小熊的打者屢屢將伸卡
打上主場的土地上。

“I was right when I told you I expected him to be better,” Manager Davey
Johnson said. “I even watched him warming up, his ball really had some good
sink. That’s him.”

「當我告訴你我預期他會更好時，我是對的。」教頭強森表示。「我也有去看他熱身，
他的伸卡真的會跑。他回來了。」

Pitching coach Steve McCatty implored Wang this week to throw more sinkers.
The sinker had lost velocity and bite through his shoulder operation and
recovery, and Wang pitched as though he believed one pitch could no longer
sustain him. He sprinkled in more sliders and change-ups. But what remained
of Wang’s sinker, McCatty insisted, was still a pitch capable of making
major league hitters hit groundballs.

投手教練麥卡提期望這禮拜王能多善用其伸卡。在手術及復健後，其伸卡降了球威及球速
，而王也覺得一種球路並不足夠。他增加滑球與變速的搭配。但在麥卡提的堅持下，提醒
了王，他的伸卡依舊有能力讓大聯盟打者打成滾地球。

In Colorado this weekend, McCatty chatted with Rockies first baseman Jason
Giambi, a teammate of Wang’s during his best years with the New York
Yankees, and brought up Wang’s slider. “Was it good,” McCatty asked, “or
was it a little fuzzy?”

這周在科羅拉多，麥卡提與洛磯的一壘手傑森‧吉昂比有過一段談話，這位球員曾是王在
洋基巔峰時期的隊友，他們聊到王的滑球。「這球路是否有威力，」麥卡提問道。「或還
有些生疏？」

“A little fuzzy,” Giambi replied. “But I didn’t see it too much.”
Because Wang threw so many sinkers.

「有些生疏，」吉昂比回應。「但我沒看過幾球。」因為王使用較多伸卡。

Tuesday night, Wang threw almost all his sinkers between 89 and 92 mph,
occasionally touching 93 on the radar gun. In 2006, the season he finished
second in Cy Young voting, Wang often threw mid-90s sinkers, but he averaged
93 mph with the pitch. Between starts, Wang worked on throwing a better
sinker, focusing on his release point and staying on top of the ball as he
released it.

星期二晚上，王的伸卡多集中在82到92英哩的時速，測速槍中偶爾顯示93的數字。在
2006年，王以賽揚票選第二名作結的球季中，王的伸卡常可接近95英哩。但他的平均球速
大概在93英哩左右。在先發位置中，王試圖強化其伸卡，將重點放在放球點，在出手前盡
量將球維持在高點。


“It almost feels the same,” Wang said. “The sinkerball was sinking.”


「感覺回來了，」王說。「伸卡球會下沉了。」

After five innings, as the groundballs piled up, Wang still had not allowed a
hit. Ian Desmond saved a potential single in the fifth, when Tyler Colvin
shot a groundball through Wang’s legs and Desmond made one of several
dazzling plays, a slick stop behind second base on a wicked hop.

五局結束，在滾地球累積下，王依舊未被擊出任何安打。當柯文（Tyler Colvin）擊出
投手方向強襲球時，戴斯蒙（Ian Desmond）美技化解了這可能形成安打的一球。

The Nationals, though, still had not scored a run off Cubs starter Matt
Garza, a problem fixed with a sudden, powerful spasm of offense. With one
out, Michael Morse crushed a home run over the batter’s eye in center field,
into the section of bleachers attached to the old-school scoreboard in
center. It was Morse’s 20th homer of the year, and maybe his longest. The
fans who buy tickets there do not bring their gloves to their park.

雖然國民依舊未自小熊的先發投手麥特‧賈薩的手中得分，但強力的攻擊讓情況瞬間改觀
。一出局後，摩斯（Mike Morse）將球送出中外野的圍牆。這是摩斯本季第二十發全壘打
，也是距離最遠的。

“It’s up there with my top ones that felt good,” Morse said. “But as long
as it goes over, I don’t care how far.”

「我的感覺很好。」摩斯說，「但當它一旦飛出去，我就不在乎距離了。」

Garza had dominated the Nationals — he struck out nine in six innings — but
Morse’s homer seemingly lifted some kind of lid. Jayson Werth smashed a
single down the third base line. Jonny Gomes, starting for the third straight
game, followed with a home run of his own, a high drive that snuck into the
first row in left field.

賈薩對國民展現強大壓制力，六局中送出九次三振，但摩斯的全壘打帶起了攻勢。
沃斯（Jayson Werth）擊出穿越三壘防線的安打。連續三場先發的高梅茲（Jonny Gomes）
接著擊出全壘打，一記直擊左外野看台的長打

Wang walked to the mound in the sixth armed with a 3-0 lead and a no-hitter.
“I wasn’t thinking that much about it,” Wang said. “I just wanted to get
the sinker going.”

王在第六局帶著三分領先踏上投手丘，並依舊保持零安打。「我沒有想太多。」王說。
「我只想維持伸卡的尾勁。」

Tony Campana led off, pinch-hitting for Garza. He bunted one pitch foul, then
whacked two others foul, building a 2-2 count. Another sinker, and another
groundball, laced to the right side of the infield. Morse took a quick step
to his right and dove. The ball deflected off his mitt and trickled behind
him.

坎帕納（Tony Campana）取代賈薩的打擊。他以觸擊和揮擊干擾，球數2好2壞。接著的
伸卡打成了滾地球，往內野右側方向竄出。摩斯向右撲接，但球被手套彈開到右側。

Wang still sprinted to cover first, and second baseman Danny Espinosa scooped
the ball off the dirt on the run. Espinosa buzzed a running throw to Wang,
hitting him in stride just as he reached the base. If a hitter other than
Campana had been running, Espinosa’s fabulous play would have preserved Wang
’s no-hitter. Instead, Campana beat him by a step, and the Cubs had a ‘one’
in their hit column.

王往一壘補位，二壘手艾斯皮諾沙（Danny Espinosa）自地上接起這球。艾斯皮諾沙
快傳給王，球比王晚一步到壘。若打者不是坎帕納，艾斯皮諾沙這美技可能會維持王
的無安打，坎帕納早到一步，幫小熊在安打欄中添上1的數字。

Wang stranded Campana on second base with three consecutive outs. He threw a
sinker with his final pitch, 93 mph, and Blake DeWitt hit a groundball to
second base. Wang trudged back into the dugout and grabbed a bat, ready to
hit, but Johnson wanted to protect his shoulder — he said afterward he would
have pulled Wang even if he still had the no-hitter. He shook Wang’s hand
and told him, “Good job.”

王將盜上二壘的坎帕納變成殘壘。他最後一球伸卡93英哩，讓德威特（Blake DeWitt）
擊成二壘方向的滾地球。王走回休息室拎起球棒，準備打擊。但強森希望保護他的肩膀
，他說即便王依舊保持無安打，他也會把王換下。他跟王握手並說：「做得好。」

Since the Nationals signed Wang in February 2010, they had waited for a night
like this. “Light years,” McCatty said, asked how far Wang had come.

自從國民在2010年2月簽下王，他們就一直期待這樣的夜晚。被問到王成長的幅度，
麥卡提說，「光年的距離。」

Afterward, about 75 Taiwanese fans lined up in the Wrigley Field concourse,
so dense and large in number they created a surreal traffic jam as fans left
the park. As he sat in the clubhouse, Wang could hear them chanting: “
Chien-Ming Wang! Chien-Ming Wang!”

之後，約75名台灣球迷聚集在瑞格里球場大廳，這數目的球員甚至在散場時引起交通阻塞
。當王坐在休息室時還能聽到他們的歡呼：王建民！王建民！

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