Sports / Baseball-Taiwan rejoices in Wang's major league success

From toddlers to politicians, Taiwan is abuzz with the exploits of baseball pitcher Wang Chien-ming. Teachers hold him up as a role model for their students who avidly watch his Major League Baseball (MLB) games on their mobile phones. Wang helped the New York Yankees to win the American League East title before their defeat in the playoffs last weekend. He notched up 19 wins during the regular season, a major league record for a player from Asia, as fans in Taiwan are quick to point out. "Wang's record will encourage more students to participate in this sport, even those who don't understand it now," said insurance company employee Li Chin-sheng, sporting a T-shirt with Wang's number 40 on the back, as he and his co-workers slugged back bottled water in a dusty public park after a session of pitching practice this week. "Girls are now talking about Wang with boys and before they didn't discuss baseball. Now they're curious about baseball and want to know the rules," he said. Li said even his two-year-old daughter was aware of Wang, who has helped to motivate countless people on the island to try baseball or softball.