OAKLAND — Earlier this week Wei-Chung Wang made A's history, becoming the first Taiwanese-born player in franchise history.
Wang pitched two scoreless innings Tuesday night against the Angels and one more Wednesday. It was his first time on a major league mound since 2017.
Wang, 27, began his big league career in 2014 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent four seasons in the Brewers organization before pitching in South Korea last year.
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This past offseason, the A's signed Wang to a minor league deal, and called the left-hander up last week.
"I'm just really happy," Wang said through an interpreter. "I'm grateful that I got called up so quickly. ... I've been working and waiting for this opportunity and just trying to stay healthy."
Wang pitched well at Triple-A Las Vegas this season, going 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 24 innings. His first two appearances in Oakland have gone even better, as the southpaw has allowed just two baserunners in three scoreless innings.
"He looked very poised," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "He threw all of his pitches. He threw strikes and got outs. He should take some confidence from that."
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While Wang doesn't have overpowering stuff, he mixes his pitches well. He features a low-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider, and a low-80s changeup.
"The changeup has always been my primary weapon," wang said. "Recently, I've kind of been working on a cutter."
"He has subtle movement, whether it's the change, slider or fastball," Melvin said. "He hides it a little bit."
Despite being new to the A's organization, Wang actually knew a handful of players on the team. Khris Davis, Mike Fiers, and Marco Estrada were all on the Brewers with him in 2014 and he pitched with Frankie Montas and Chris Bassitt in Arizona Fall League that year.
"It's nice to have that familiar feeling with familiar faces," Wang said. "It's been about four or five years. We were all pretty young at the time. I was happy that the first thing I saw when I arrived was (Bassitt and Montas)."
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Wang joins Ryan Buchter as the only left-handers in the A's bullpen. Buchter figures to continue in his role as Oakland's top lefty specialist, facing opponents' best left-handed hitters in big situations. But Wang certainly adds depth and value to the pen.
"We've always been kind of looking for a second lefty and a guy who can get some righties out and give us a couple of innings," Melvin said. "He did all of those things."