Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Taiwan's ace pitcher Chien-Ming Wang said Monday he is aiming to return to Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States.

Wang, who pitched 12 scoreless innings in two World Baseball Classic (WBC) games against the national teams of Australia and Japan earlier this month, made the remarks prior to his departure from Tokyo for Taipei.

Local media reports said Wang's outstanding performance in the WBC first and second rounds impressed Japanese baseball scouts and that some of the country's professional baseball teams are interested in recruiting him.

The reports speculated that Wang had postponed his return to Taipei from Sunday to Monday in order to talk with interested Japanese baseball teams.

Wang, who became a free agent after the Washington Nationals did not tender him at the end of the 2012 MLB season, denied the reports, saying he had remained in Tokyo an additional day simply for "sightseeing around the city."

He also said at Tokyo airport that he did not know whether any Japanese teams were interested in recruiting him.

"The contract issue is all being handled by my agent," Wang said, adding that it all depends how his agent works things out.

The pitcher said he will stay in Taiwan for a few days before departing for the United States.

The 32-year-old right-hander recorded 19 wins in 2006 and 2007 when he pitched for the New York Yankees.

Many baseball fans are planning to greet Wang at Taipei's Songshan Airport when he arrives at 3 p.m. Monday.

(By Lee Chin-wei and Sofia Wu)
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