Meanwhile, C.C. Sabathia had a problem of a different sort as he began the follow-up to a Cy Young Award season -- needless to say, kicking off the year 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA through his first four starts of the young campaign was not exactly what the Tribe left-hander had in mind.

With better experiences of late in both of their respective back pockets, Wang and Sabathia will face off in a reprise of Game 1 of last year's ALDS, taking the mound at Progressive Field for Sunday's MLB on TBS featured game.

The Yankees have won all five of Wang's starts this season, and the 28-year-old is off to a 4-0 start, tying Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka for the AL lead in victories and becoming the first Yankees hurler to win his first four decisions of a campaign since Kevin Brown in 2004.

Sabathia turned around a disappointing opening to his season against the Royals on Tuesday in Kansas City, firing six shutout innings, striking out 11. After that start, Sabathia said he regained the feel on his cutter and slider, re-establishing himself on the inside part of the plate, especially against the right-handed batters who had given him trouble in his first four starts.

"He was trying to stay more closed [in his delivery]," Indians pitching coach Carl Willis said. "He's trying to get the ball opposite arm side in to righties. [Against the Royals,] when he missed, he missed in, as opposed to out over the middle of the plate.

"His release point was more consistent, and he had a better slider, a better breaking ball. That was vintage C.C. He was still feeling for it a bit, I thought, but it was a pretty huge step from his previous start."

In Spring Training, Wang said that it took him a month to get over the playoff losses, in which he was roughed up for 12 runs and 14 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Pitching on three days' rest in the deciding Game 4 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium, Wang did not retire an Indians batter in the second inning.

"The two losses make me want to do even better this year," Wang said. "I want to make the coaches trust me even more in the future."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he was actually glad Wang needed one month to get over his October disappointment.

"That tells me that he really cares and he wants to get better," Girardi said. "That actually excites me. I think he will continue to improve."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.