Back in 2006 and 2007, Chien-Ming Wang was on top of the world. The Taiwan-native had won 19 games in back-to-back seasons for the New York Yankees. He was poised to be their ace for years to come.
But midway through the 2008 season, with the Yankees in Houston to take on the Astros, Wang suffered an injury while running the bases that would change the trajectory of his career.
Wang pitched for the Yankees in 2009, but posted a 9.64 ERA in 12 appearances. Following the season, he became a free agent.
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For the next seven seasons, Wang bounced from organization to organization. He spent time with the Nationals, returned to the Yankees, and signed with the Blue Jays, Reds, White Sox, Braves, Mariners and Royals. He last appeared in the major leagues in 2016 with Kansas City.
Through all the injuries and setbacks, Wang never gave up on his dream is returning to the big leagues. His story is now being chronicled in a new documentary titled Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story.
The movie, directed by Frank Chen, debuted in Los Angeles on May 9 and made its way to San Francisco this weekend for the CAAMFest (Celebrating Asian American Film, Music and Food).
Wang and Chen stopped by the NBC Sports California studio on Sunday to discuss the film. You can watch the full interview at the top of this article.
