Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera Are Keys to Yankees Championship

In last night’s 2009 Subway Series finale at Citi Field in Queens, the New York Yankees defeated the New York Metropolitans, 4-2, to capture five out of the six games played between the cross-town rivals this year.   Erstwhile ace Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA) yielded two runs on four hits over 5-1/3 innings to earn his first victory since he suffered a season-ending foot injury running the bases in Houston against the Astros last June.   Wang, 29, entered the season with a .754 winning percentage (46-15) that was the best mark among active hurlers from 2006-2008 with a minimum of 60 starts.   But Wang’s severely fractured foot was clearly not entirely healed at the start of the 2009 campaign and his putrid numbers emphasized that reality. In his first three starts, Wang went 0-3 and compiled an unsightly 34.50 ERA before he was placed on the disabled list in late April.   Since being reactivated from the DL, the ... (link)