August 25, 2007
The Wang Stuff
Chien-Ming Wang struck out six batters in eight innings tonight, earning his fifteenth win as the Yankees defeated the Tigers 7-2. The six strikeouts brought his season total to 81, a career high. In 2006, he struck out 76 in 218 innings. This year, he passed that mark in just 159 1/3. He's increased his K per 9 from 3.1 to 4.6. That latter number is just above what's considered acceptable for a successful pitcher, and it's good to see Wang depending less on the Yankees defense.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:58 PM
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All for nought. Redsox are going to win the division and Mariners are going to win the wild card.
You wrote:
> He's increased his K per 9 from 3.1 to 4.6. That latter number is just above what's considered acceptable for a successful pitcher...
Not necessarily. Wang may be one of those rare pitchers whose success is not as dependent on K/9 as others. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) may turn out consistently lower on average than other pitchers due to exceptional control. Add in low HR allowed, and there is the potential for consistent success despite mediocre strikeout totals.