Chien-Ming Wang took an important step in his road back to the mound, making his first start since he went down last season with a foot injury.

Five batters in the Houston lineup yesterday were players Wang faced the last time he pitched in a game. But there were no flashbacks, only a methodical two innings of pain-free work.

"It felt good to pitch," Wang said. "It was the same as last year before I got hurt."

Like music to our ears...