※ 引述《yyhong68 (come every now and then)》之銘言： : Wang and only : The sinker that made Chien-Ming : BY ANTHONY McCARRON : DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER : It won't take long for Chien-Ming Wang to throw his remarkable sinker tonight : when he opens the division series as the Yankees' Game 1 starter. It will : probably come in on Tigers leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson at about 93 miles : per hour, harder than other sinkers in the game, which is what makes it : unique. 作為今晚分區賽洋基的一號先發，用不了多久我們就可以看到王建民投出他那著名 的伸卡球。也許在面對老虎的開路先鋒Curtis Granderson時就可以看到它以93mph 的速度出現，比任何其他的伸卡球都還要快，而這就是它之所以特別的原因。 : At first, Wang's signature pitch looks like a normal fastball, something : that major league hitters see every day. But this pitch is something else : entirely. And it's so vital to Wang's success that it just might be the : most important mound weapon of October for the Yankees, especially with : the uncertainty Randy Johnson's frozen back brings the team's starting : rotation. 王的這顆代表性的球路，剛開始看起來只是個普通的速球 - 大聯盟的打者每天都會 看到的那種。然而這顆球卻是完全不同的東西。它對於王的成功是絕對必要的，而 對於十月份的洋基而言，恐怕也會是投手丘上最重要的武器。尤其是在Randy Johnson 的背傷給球隊的先發輪值帶來不穩的當下。 : The 26-year-old Wang, in only his first full season in the majors, : became the Yankees' best pitcher and a contender for the American League : Cy Young Award, going 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA in 34 starts. He's not a glitzy : strikeout artist - he fans only 3.14 batters per nine innings - and he : gave up 233 hits, 14th highest in the majors. 26歲的王，在他第一個完整的大聯盟球季，投了34場先發取得19-6 3.63 ERA的成績， 成為洋基最佳的投手，以及美國聯盟賽揚獎的競爭者。他不是那種誇張的三振藝術家 - 每九局僅僅三振3.14個打者、且被打了聯盟第14高的233支安打。 : But once runners are on, he minimizes damage, in part because he can : coax frustrated hitters into mashing the ball into the ground. Opponents : had an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .695 against him, : 16th lowest in the majors. He only gave up 12 home runs in 218 innings : and, some say, might be able to win even if he only threw his best pitch. : "It doesn't matter if you know it's coming," says Tampa Bay infielder : Ty Wigginton. "I mean, you already know it's coming." 但是一旦跑者上壘，他能將傷害壓到最低，一部份的原因在於他引誘那些失望的 打者打出無力的滾地球。對手面對他僅有.695 OPS - 聯盟第十六低。他在218局 投球中僅被擊出12發全壘打。甚至有人說，他可以僅靠他的最佳球路就贏得比賽。 "就算你知道那球路會出現也沒有用" Tampa Bay內野手Ty Wigginton說道。 "我是說，其實你早已知道那球路會出現" : Adds Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon: "His sinker, on a day he's righteous, : is probably the best in the game. When that thing is down and it's dropping, : he's virtually unhittable." Devil Rays教頭Joe Maddon說: "他的伸卡，假如當天狀況好的話，恐怕是球賽中 最佳的球路。當該球路能壓低並下墜，幾乎不可能在他手中擊出安打。" : Hitters often compare hitting a good sinker to hitting a bowling ball, : because the ball feels so heavy if they get the bat on it; they can't : get any loft on it and drive it into the outfield. Asked if Wang's sinker : reminds him of any other pitcher's, Maddon, his eyes twinkling behind his : trademark black spectacles, says, "Yeah, he's right up there with Dick : Weber and the other famous bowlers of all time." 打者經常將好的伸卡球比喻成保齡球，原因在於當棒子擊中球時會趕到無比沈重; 他們根本無法把球擊高帶到外野去。當被問到王的伸卡是否會讓他想起其他的投手 的球路時，Maddon招牌的黑框眼鏡後的眼睛閃爍著光芒，說道 "是阿，他會讓我 想起Dick Weber和其他史上著名的保齡球選手" : * * * : About three feet from the plate, Wang's sinker starts to plunge abruptly. : "Too late to react," Yanks pitching coach Ron Guidry says. The ball can : plummet as much as nine inches, according to Guidry's estimates, but that's : not why it's so good. It has no more movement than other sinkers Guidry has : seen, including that of the Yankee coach's former teammates Dick Tidrow and : Catfish Hunter. 距離本壘三呎處，王的伸卡開始突然的下墜。"要反應已經太遲了" 洋基投手教練 Ron Guidry說。根據Guidry的估測，球墜落的幅度可多達九英吋，但那並不是 它如此優秀的主因。它並沒有比Guidry曾看過的其他伸卡球，包括前隊友Dick Tidrow 與Catfish Hunter所投出的，擁有更多的尾勁。 : "What separates (Wang's) sinker from everyone else is that he throws it : so hard," Guidry says. "He throws it so hard that it breaks so late. If : it was coming in at 85 miles per hour, you'd see it for a longer time, : you'd have more time to react and the advantage goes to the hitter. But : with Wang, he's throwing it 93. You don't have any time." "讓王的伸卡與其他人的不同的原因，在於他的球速" Guidry說 "他可以將球投得 如此快，卻又如此晚才開始變化。如果球以85mph的速度飛來，你有較長的時間 可以觀察它並做出反應，優勢就會落在打者這邊。但王可以將它投到93mph。你根本 沒有時間反應" : "It looks like a hittable pitch," adds a major-league scout. "Then you : start committing and the ball is two inches off the ground by the time : you start to swing. It sinks like a brick." "它看起來就像是可以攻擊的球路" 一位球探補充到。"接著你決定攻擊，等到 你開始揮棒時，球已經落到只比地面高兩英吋了。它就像磚塊一般墜落" : If you're a right-handed hitter, the pitch bores in on your hands, kind : of like the way Mariano Rivera's famed cutter veers into the wrists of : left-handed hitters. A lefty facing Wang gets the opposite look - the : ball moves away. 如果你是右打，球會鑽進你的手中，跟Mariano Rivera著名的卡特球轉進左打者 的手腕的方式類似。當左打面對王時看起來則相反 - 球會遠離打者。 : Now, Wang can use his sinker to enhance the quality of his other : pitches - a slider, a changeup and a four-seam fastball. "His sinker : really comes in on you, as a righty, and anytime you have that, any : little pitch that goes the other way becomes that much tougher to deal : with," Wigginton says. 此時，王就可以使用他的伸卡來增加他其他球路的品質 - 滑球、變速、及四縫線。 "他的伸卡真得會鑽向你身邊，作為一位右打，當你得面對這樣的球路時，任何 其他不怎樣的球路，只要移動的方式不同，就會變得難以處理得多" Wigginton說。 : If a righty is sitting on a sinker, waiting for the ball to veer in, : Wang can keep him off balance with a slider that travels anywhere from : 86-90 mph and breaks the other way, even though, as Guidry says, Wang's : slider is not an elite pitch. But misdirection is the heart of pitching. 如果右打者專注在伸卡上，等待球轉進來，王就可以使用速度約86-90mph，移動 方向相反的滑球，來破壞打者的平衡。雖然Guidry說王的滑球並不是致命的球路。 但誤導打者就是投球技術的中心想法。 : "He hasn't mastered his slider," Guidry says. "It's just a pitch he has : that he can throw to show somebody and maybe get a cheap out or a strike. : It's not outstanding, like (Minnesota's Johan) Santana's or Randy Johnson's : or (Tampa Bay's Scott) Kazmir's. But if he throws that slider and you're : thinking sinker, you can't hit the slider because it's going out. It's a : pitch the hitter has got to give up on." Guidry說 "他還未完全掌握他的滑球" "那只是個偶而可以秀出來，或許騙個出局 或好球數的東西。它並不像Santana、R.J、Kazmir他的的滑球那般突出。但如果 他投出滑球而你卻想著伸卡，因為球向遠處移動，你將無法擊中它。如此一來 打者就必須放棄攻擊這種球路" : Wang's changeup can travel anywhere from 78 to 83 mph and he uses it to : keep hitters from simply waiting for his sinker. His four-seamer, which : has been clocked as high as 97 mph this year though it regularly comes in : at 95, also keeps hitters from being too sinker-conscious. Occasionally, : he'll throw a split-fingered fastball, too. 王的變速球速度約在78到83mph間，他使用變速球來避免打者總是等待他的伸卡。 他的四縫線，今年曾被測出97mph的高速，但通常是落在95mph左右，也可以用來 避免打者太過注意伸卡球。此外，偶而他也會投出快速指叉球。 : "If he throws a changeup and you're concentrating on the sinker, you're : way out in front of the pitch," Guidry says. "And just when you think : you've measured the speed of the sinker and you're timing it, he can : uncork a 95 mile-an-hour four-seamer and you can't pull the trigger. "如果他投變速而你集中注意力在伸卡，你將會在球進來前就揮棒" Guidry說， "而當你覺得你已經習慣了伸卡的速度並抓到擊球時機，他可以突然投出95mph 的四縫線，你將會來不及扣扳機" : "When his four best pitches are working, he's tough to hit. But if the : sinker is not working, it makes a big difference in the game. Guys just : won't swing at it, it's not in the strike zone and they can look for his : other stuff. Without his sinker, his slider and changeup aren't the : same and he can't get by just throwing four-seam fastballs." : Adds Maddon, "If that sinker gets flat, that's when you can get him." : But that doesn't happen too often. "當他四種最佳球路能投得出來，他將難以被擊倒。但假使伸卡球無法投得好時， 在球賽中將會造成巨大的差異。打者完全不揮擊伸卡，又投不進好球帶。此時打者 就可以攻擊其他的球路。缺少了伸卡，他的滑球與變速將不再有相同的威力， 而他也無法僅靠四縫線就撐過比賽" Maddon補充到 "當伸卡的尾勁消失，那就是 你可以攻擊他的時機" 但這狀況並不常發生。 : * * * : The Yankees signed Wang as an international free agent in May of 2000 : after out-bidding the Seattle Mariners, spending - depending on whom you : ask - either $1.9 million or $2.12 million. They had scouted him at college : tournaments and marveled as he pitched even better when he got into a jam. : He had not learned the sinker yet, but made his way through the Yankee : system and overcame shoulder surgery in 2001. In 2004, he reached Triple-A : Columbus and began to work with the Clippers' pitching coach, Neil Allen, : on the pitch that would change his career and make him a huge star in his : native Taiwan. He's so popular at home that his starts are broadcast live : on television, though they usually start during the morning rush hour : because of a 12-hour time difference. 洋基於2000年五月，以勝過水手隊的簽約金，簽下國際自由球員身份的王。共花了 190萬或212萬美元 - 端看你是問誰。他們在大學聯賽中注意到他，並且對於他能在 陷入危機時反而投得更好感到讚嘆。他當時還未學會伸卡球，但也依舊在洋基系統 中一路往上爬，並克服了2001年時進行的肩膀手術。到了2004年，他升上了3A Columbus並開始與投手教練Neil Allen合作，習得了那足以改變他職業生涯、並使他 成為出生地台灣的巨星的球路。他在家鄉出名到每場先發都在電視上播送，即使因為 12小時時差的關係，播放時間通常是在早上的繁忙時間。 : But things were different before the sinker. Left-handed hitters were : hurting Wang, so he wanted to find an effective pitch against them. : Allen suggested the sinker and taught Wang to hold the ball with his : fingers over the seams, a grip different from his straight fastball : grip across the seams. Wang puts pressure on the index finger to throw : the pitch, which makes it move away from lefties and in on righties. 在習得伸卡球之前，這些景象是完全不同的。左打者對王造成了傷害，使得他想找出 一種有效的球路來應對。Allen建議王投伸卡球，並且教他握球時把手指壓在縫線上， 與他的直線速球手指橫跨縫線的握法不同。王在投出時將食指加壓，使得球向左打 外側或右打內側移動。 : The pitch started working quickly - two weeks after tinkering with it, : Wang used it at the 2004 Athens Olympics, pitching for Taiwan. : "It took me about a month of practicing to really get the control," : Wang says through an interpreter. "I used to throw it only to lefties, : but now I throw it to both. I started throwing it to both last year." 這球路很快就派上用場 - 就在開始學習兩週後，王在2004雅典奧運替台灣投球 時便使用了它。"我花了約一個月去練習才真正能控制它" 王透過口譯人員說道。 "當時我通常是拿它來對付左打，但是現在我對左右打都會使用。我是從去年 開始才如此" : The Yankees summoned Wang from Columbus last year looking to patch up a : wounded rotation. He went 8-5 with a 4.02 ERA despite missing nearly two : months with an inflammation in his right shoulder. He started Game 2 of : the division series loss to the Angels. He allowed four runs (one earned) : in 6.2 innings to lose that game, but he made an impression on Maddon, : who was then the Angels' bench coach. 洋基在去年將王從Columbus叫上大聯盟，希望能修補因傷所擾的先發輪值。 雖然在季中因右肩發炎而缺席將近兩個月，他仍然取得了8-5 4.02 ERA的成績。 他在季後分區賽第二場對上天使承擔敗投，6.2局失掉四分(一分責失)，但給了 當時擔任天使板凳教練的Maddon深刻印象。 : "I loved him then," Maddon says. "We did not like facing him that day. : It was like we couldn't get one out of the infield." "我當時就喜歡他了" (譯註:告白了^^;) Maddon說 "那天我們並不喜歡面對他。 感覺起來我們根本無法把球打出內野" : Early in the 2005 season, Wang came within two of the assist record for : pitchers, taking nine grounders himself against the Orioles. In fact, : as Guidry puts it, "everybody gets involved in the infield when he pitches. : Even Jorgie (Posada) has a chance to field ground balls at home plate." : Says Wigginton, "guys who strike out a lot of hitters, sometimes you can : fall into a lull. It's not that you aren't ready, it's just that you : expect a strikeout. Guys who pound the zone make it easier to play defense. : You're always ready." 2005球季早期，王達成了投手助殺記錄中的兩項，面對金鷹時，自己接了九個 滾地球造成出局。事實上，正如Guidry所說 "當他投球時，內野的每個人都得參與。 甚至連Jorgie (Posada)都有機會在本壘前處理滾地球" Wigginton說 "那些能三振 許多打者的投手投球時，有時你會陷入發呆狀態。並不是說你沒有準備好，而是你 根本就預期會有三振出現。投進好球帶讓打者打的投手，會使防守變得較簡單。 因為你總是在準備好的狀態" : While Yankee infielders like Wang's style, he is tinkering with a pitch : that could change him into a strikeout artist. He wants to learn to throw : a curveball, so he'll have a breaking ball that's a slower speed than his : slider. "Sinker, slider, everything's hard now," Wang said. : While Guidry is unsure if Wang needs another pitch, he acknowledges that : it might get Wang more strikeouts. This season, Wang ranked 81st among : major-league pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings, fanning 76 in 218 : innings. 雖然洋基內野手喜歡王的風格，他也正在嘗試一種球路，或許可以讓他變身為 三振藝術家。他想要學習曲球，好擁有一種比滑球速度更慢的變化球路。 "伸卡、滑球，每種球路的速度都夠快" 王說道。Guidry並不確定王是否需要 另一種球路，但他也承認這或許可以給王跟多的三振。本季，王在每九局三振數 的排行上名列81名，218局僅三振76人次。 : "I would think when he gets more comfortable with some of the other : pitches he has, he'll strike out more hitters," Guidry said. "If we : teach him a curveball to go with the repertoire, that'll help. He wants : to learn to throw it. I don't know if he should, but we're going to : tinker with it. As hard as he throws, if he came up with a real good : curveball, that would probably change him into a power pitcher, : a strikeout pitcher." "我認為當他能更加掌握他目前已有的其他幾種球路時，他就能三振更多打者" Guidry說 "如果我們教他曲球作為他的武器之一，那會有所幫助。他想要學 曲球。我不知道他是否應該學，但我們將會好好研究研究。以他的球速而言， 如果他真能有一顆好的曲球，那有可能使他成為一位強力投手、一位三振型 的投手" : Could he be even better? 他是否能更上一層樓？ : Originally published on October 2, 2006 : http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/story/457720p-385202c.html 呼....總算翻完了，好長>_< 期待小王變身成功啦~~ --

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