Nationals re-sign righthander Chien-Ming Wang

The Washington Nationals tonight signed free-agent right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to a one-year Major League contract. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Wang, 30, returns for a second season with the Nationals organization. He did not pitch in 2010 while working with the Nationals' training staff on a rehab program designed to regain full health from July 2009 right shoulder surgery. Wang is 55-26 with a 4.16 ERA in 109 career games/104 starts spanning five seasons with the Yankees. An extreme ground-ball pitcher, Wang's career ground ball-to-fly ball ratio of 2.73/1 ranks third among active pitchers with 100-plus starts, trailing only Brandon Webb (3.63/1) and Derek Lowe (3.09/1). His .679 career winning percentage ranks second among active pitchers with 100 or more starts. Perhaps best known for posting consecutive 19-win seasons for the Yankees in 2006 and '07, Wang's consistency afforded him the honor of starting the Yankees' first post-season contest in 2007 vs. Cleveland. During the same two-year span, Wang led MLB with 38 wins and a .745 winning percentage while pacing the American League with 864 ground balls induced and a 2.9/1 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio. Wang originally signed with the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on May 5, 2000.