Washington Nationals pitcher and “Pride of Taiwan” Wang Chien-ming (王建民) on Monday night admitted he had a months-long extramarital affair while he was recovering from a shoulder injury in 2009.
“I sincerely apologize to the fans who have been supporting me,” Wang told a press conference in Viera, Florida. “I’m sorry I set a bad example and I let you down.”
Fans were shocked to hear the confession from their baseball hero, a man of few words known for his image as a family man. That positive image has also made him one of the most-wanted spokespersons for local businesses, from a laptop computer manufacturer to a blood bank.
Photo: Lu Chun-wei, Taipei Times
Haltingly reading from a statement, Wang said the relationship started after he completed surgery on his right shoulder three years ago.
“After the operation in 2009, I did not know if my career as a professional baseball player was over,” Wang said. “Because of the long rehabilitation process, I was depressed and felt helpless and hopeless every day. I lost balance between my physical and psychological life. I had an extramarital affair at a low point in my life.”
Wang said the relationship lasted about eight months and that he decided to terminate it because he could no longer live with the “strong sense of guilt.”
Even after he ended the affair, the woman continued to seek every means possible to resume the relationship and even threatened to expose the affair to the media.
“I really do not want to hurt this lady,” Wang said. “But weighing on the situation, the people I should not hurt are my family.”
Wang said he could not describe how sorry he was for the harm he had caused his wife and family as a result of a momentary weakness and that he was willing to pay the price for his action.
He said he felt even more ashamed after his wife and family chose to forgive him.
“I cannot let my family go through the suffering again,” Wang said. “I sincerely ask our friends in the media not to ask them any more questions. They are innocent and have been forced to bear such pressure.”
Asked how Wang’s spouse, Wu Chia-ling (吳嘉姈), reacted when she learned of the affair, Wang’s agent, Alan Chang (張嘉元), said she was devastated at first, but had chosen to forgive her husband to preserve their family, adding that they would work together to maintain the family and move on.
Media have identified the woman with whom Wang had an affair as a Taiwanese American known as “Cyndi.”
In an interview with the Chinese-language Next Magazine, she said she did not know Wang was a Major League Baseball pitcher, nor did she know he was married.
Asked if the Nationals knew about the affair, Wang said the team only asked him to confront the matter honestly and said would not affect his career with the team.
Wang made his major league debut for the New York Yankees in 2005 and went on to win 19 starts in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He was at one point the highest-paid Taiwanese player in the major leagues.
He has been with the Washington Nationals organization since 2010, but he did not make his return to the majors until last year.
He is currently on the 15-day disabled list.
Additional reporting by staff writer
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College