Masahiro Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball starting pitcher for the New York
Yankees of Major League Baseball. From 2007 through 2013, he played for the Tohoku Rakuten
Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League.
Tanaka led his high school team to a championship in the National High School Baseball tournament
as a junior for Komazawa University Tomakomai High School in 2005 and a runner-up berth
in the same tournament as a senior in 2006. Tanaka was the Eagles' first-round pick in
the 2006 NPB high school draft and was the team's ace until the end of the 2013 season.
From 2012 to 2013, he won 26 consecutive decisions, which broke an NPB record.
Early life Tanaka was born in Itami, a city in Hyōgo,
Japan. He began playing baseball in the first grade as a catcher for the Koyanosato Tigers
alongside current Yomiuri Giants shortstop Hayato Sakamoto, who was then the team's ace
pitcher and Tanaka's batterymate. Tanaka and Sakamoto hit third and fourth in the lineup,
respectively. He went on to play for the Takarazuka Boys while attending Itami Municipal Matsuzaki
Junior High School, being used at both pitcher and catcher because of his strong throwing
arm. He was chosen to the Junior All-South Kansai team in his third year of junior high—the
equivalent of ninth grade in the United States. High school career
2004 – spring 2006 Tanaka moved on to Komazawa University Tomakomai
High School in Hokkaidō, now playing solely as a pitcher for the team. Armed with a fastball
that sat in high-80s and a hard slider, he led his team all the way to a championship
in the 87th National High School Baseball tournament held at Koshien Stadium in the
summer of his second year. His very last pitch of the tournament was clocked at 150 km/h,
the first time a pitcher had ever clocked that speed as a junior in the history of the
tournament. Tanaka, already a highly coveted talent by NPB scouts, was chosen to the Japanese
team that would play in the IBAF AAA World Junior Championships following the tournament
and contributed to the team's title. Now given the uniform number 1 and officially
appointed the team's ace pitcher, Tanaka led Tomakomai High to a regional title as well
as a championship in the Meiji Jingu Tournament that fall, hitting home runs in four straight
games in the latter himself. While his team was viewed as the favorite going into the
78th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament to be held the following spring,
Tomakomai High was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of allegations of misconduct
of some of the players. Summer 2006
Tomakomai High earned a berth in the 88th National High School Baseball Championship
that summer. Tanaka managed to lead them to their third consecutive appearance in the
tournament finals despite being ill prior to the tournament. The team's coach did not
start Tanaka in the finals against Waseda Jitsugyo High School, opting to rest him due
to the number of innings he had thrown in the last few games, but he ended up sending
Tanaka to the mound in relief midway through the third inning. Tanaka held Waseda Jitsugyo
to just one run and struck out 10, but the opponent's ace, Yuki Saito, held Tomakomai
High to one run himself on seven hits. The game remained tied 1-1 after 15 innings, forcing
a rematch as per tournament regulations. It was the first time in 37 years that the tournament
finals had resulted in a rematch.
In the rematch that ensued the next day, Tanaka again came on in relief in the bottom of the
first, but Tomakomai High lost to Waseda Jitsugyo despite his pitching the remaining 71⁄3
innings of the game. The pitchers' duel between Tanaka and Saito in the finals and the rematch
that followed became on the most defining moments in all of sports in Japan that year.
Tanaka, dealing with intestinal inflammation, threw 742 pitches in 522⁄3 innings in the
tournament, striking out 54 and walking 20 with a 2.22 earned run average.
Both pitchers were chosen to play for Japan in the U.S.-Japan High School Baseball Tournament.
Tomakomai High and Waseda Jitsugyo High met one last time in the finals of the Nojigiku
Hyogo National Sports Festival, the last tournament of Tanaka's high school career, but Tomakomai
High was shut out by Saito and lost to Waseda Jitsugyo, finishing second yet again.
Aftermath Tanaka struck out 458 batters over the course
of his high school career, surpassing Daisuke Matsuzaka's previous national high school
record of 423 with Yokohama Senior High School. He also hit 13 home runs during those three
years. After rival Yuki Saito announced that he would
not be declaring for the upcoming draft, opting to go on to Waseda University instead, Tanaka
became the single most highly touted high school player eligible to be picked. On September
25, in the 2006 NPB high school draft, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Orix Buffaloes,
Yokohama BayStars and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles all selected Tanaka with their first-round
picks. The Golden Eagles drew the winning straw, signing him to a base salary of 15
million yen, a signing bonus of 100 million yen and additional performance-based incentives,
the equivalent of what a first-round college or industrial league-player would normally
receive, on November 2. He was also given the uniform number 18, which typically denotes
a team's staff ace in Japanese professional baseball.
Professional career Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
2007 Tanaka was named to the Eagles' ichigun roster
during Spring Training of his rookie year, and made his professional debut on March 29
2007 against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as the starting pitcher, but gave up six runs
on six hits and a walk in 12⁄3 innings. Though he was not charged with a loss, as
the Eagles made a furious comeback to tie the game up in the fourth, he was seen sitting
in the dugout in tears after being taken out of the game.
On April 18, in a home game against the Hawks, he held the team to two runs and struck out
13 in a complete game win, the first win of his professional career. He became the first
pitcher since current Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish to throw a complete game shutout as
a rookie out of high school on June 13 in an interleague game against the Chunichi Dragons.
He also became the first pitcher since Daisuke Matsuzaka in 1999 to be voted the starter
of the NPB All-Star Game as a rookie out of high school, starting in Game 2 on July 22
and clocking a personal-high 153 km/h. On July 10, Tanaka recorded his 100th strikeout
of the season in just 962⁄3 innings, tying the record for the fastest to reach 100 career
strikeouts held by former Hanshin Tigers pitcher Yutaka Enatsu. He became the first pitcher
to record double-digit wins in Eagles franchise history in a win against the Saitama Seibu
Lions on August 31. Tanaka finished the year with an 11-7 record
and a 3.82 ERA, faring particularly well against the Hawks. His 196 strikeouts were the second-most
by any pitcher in either league and the fourth-most as a rookie out of high school in Japanese
professional baseball history. He was named the Pacific League Most Valuable Rookie, the
first player out of high school to win the award since Matsuzaka.
2008 In 2008, Tanaka was penciled into the front
end of the Eagles' starting rotation for the second straight season. He earned his first
career win at Sapporo Dome, located in his former home of Hokkaido, in a win against
the Fighters on May 4, drawing cheers from the crowd despite pitching for the away team.
He came on in relief for the first time in his career in an interleague game against
the Hiroshima Carp on June 22, recording his first career save.
Tanaka was able to make only 24 starts, missing playing time because of both a brief rehab
stint in the minors due to inflammation in his shoulder and his participation in the
2008 Beijing Olympics as a member of the Japanese national team. He entered the last game of
the regular season against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks with nine wins, looking to both earn
his tenth win of the season and prevent the Eagles from finishing in last place. While
he held the Hawks to no runs over nine innings, Hawks starter Toshiya Sugiuchi equaled his
performance and Tanaka fell short of his goal of reaching double-digit wins. The Eagles
eventually won in walk-off fashion in the twelfth inning, finishing one game ahead of
the Hawks for fifth place in the regular season standings.
2009 Tanaka got off to an utterly dominant start
to the 2009 season, pitching a four-hit complete game shutout against the Hawks in his first
start on April 7, a one-run complete game win against the Chiba Lotte Marines on April
14, a three-hit complete game shutout against the Marines on April 22, and an 11-strikeout,
one-run complete game win against the Fighters on April 29. The fourth win marked the 1500th
of Eagles manager Katsuya Nomura's career and made Tanaka the first pitcher to start
the season with four consecutive complete game wins since Satoru Komiyama and Shigetoshi
Hasegawa both accomplished the feat in 1993. However, though he went 4–0 with a 0.50
ERA for the month of April, striking out 37 and allowing just 24 baserunners in 36 innings
and winning Pacific League monthly Most Valuable Player honors for the first time in his career,
he was removed from the active roster on April 30 with a minor shoulder strain as a result
of fatigue. He returned to the team on May 13, pitching seven innings of three run-ball
against the Fighters for his fifth straight win to start the season.
2013 On September 13, 2013, Tanaka set a new NPB
record with his 21st consecutive win in the 2013 season in a 6–2 complete game victory
over the Orix Buffaloes at home in Sendai at Kleenex Stadium. This victory was Tanaka's
25th consecutive win, including his final four starts in 2012. It also eclipsed the
longest consecutive winning streak for MLB pitchers, set at 24 by Carl Hubbell in the
1936 and 1937 seasons. On September 26, 2013, Tanaka relieved to close the last 2⁄3 inning.
With a one run lead, he sealed the victory and the Eagles' first Pacific League title.
It was his first appearance as a closer in the 2013 season.
He ended the regular season with a 24–0 record and 1.27 ERA, tops in both leagues.
He also became the second post-war starting pitcher with an undefeated season with minimum
innings required for an ERA title since Shigekuni Mashiba.
Tanaka went on to win his second Sawamura Award as the Golden Eagles competed for their
first Japan Series title. Taking postseason games into account, his 2013 record stood
at 30–0 on October 28, 2013. New York Yankees
Tanaka was repeatedly scouted by MLB representatives during the 2013 season. Through the revised
posting system, Rakuten posted Tanaka to MLB during the 2013-14 offseason at a fee of $20
million. On December 26, 2013, all 30 MLB teams were notified that the 30-day period
to sign the 25-year-old right-hander began at 8 a.m. EST. Clubs had until 5 p.m. EST
on January 24, 2014, to reach an agreement with Tanaka, who is represented by agent Casey
Close. During the month-long period following Tanaka's
posting, teams reported to be serious suitors included the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs,
Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Houston Astros. On January
22, 2014, Tanaka signed a seven-year contract worth $155 million with the Yankees. The contract
contains an opt-out clause after the fourth year and a full no-trade clause.
2014 Tanaka made his Major League debut on April
4, 2014 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The first batter he faced was ex-Yankee Melky
Cabrera, in which whom he allowed a home run to after throwing his first 3 pitches. Tanaka
finished the game pitching 7 innings with 8 strikeouts but allowing 3 runs on 6 hits
and got his first career win in the MLB as the Yankees won against the Blue Jays 7-3.
Tanaka made his first career homestand start on April 9, 2014 against the Baltimore Orioles
where he struck out 10 in 7 innings but surrendered a 3-run homer by Jonathan Schoop. He received
a no-decision in his first home start as the Yankees lost the game 4-5. During an interleague
game against the New York Mets on May 14, 2014, Tanaka recorded his first Major League
hit off of Jose Valverde and pitched his first complete game in the Majors as the Yankees
shut out the Mets 4-0. Tanaka started well going 6-0 until he took his first career loss
in the MLB on May 20, 2014 as the Yankees lost to the Chicago Cubs 1-6. It was Tanaka’s
first regular season loss in any professional baseball league since August 19, 2012. The
next month, Tanaka recorded his 100th strikeout of the season, along with another complete
game. He nearly completed a shutout in the same game, but the first two runs of the game
were earned off of a two run homer in the 9th inning by Robinson Canó, who left the
Yankees in the offseason to join the Seattle Mariners. Tanaka quickly struck out the next
two batters to win the game. Tanaka also became the first Yankees rookie to win 12 games by
the All-Star break. Tanaka was voted as a reserve for The American League for the Major
League Baseball All-Star Game. He and teammate Dellin Betances are the first Yankees rookie
pitchers to earn an All-Star Game nod since Spec Shea in 1947. After losing to the Cleveland
Indians 3-5 on July 8, 2014, Tanaka began to experience discomfort in his right arm.
On July 9, 2014, Tanaka was placed on the disabled list due to right elbow inflammation.
An MRI revealed that his elbow had a partially torn UCL. Hoping to avoid surgery, Tanaka
received a cortisone shot and rested his elbow for 6 weeks. Tanaka rehabbed by throwing in
the outfield and playing in simulated games. Tanaka returned on September 21 against the
Blue Jays. In his final start of the 2014 season against the Boston Red Sox on September
27, 2014, Tanaka lasted only 1.2 innings giving up 7 runs as the Yankees lost to the Red Sox
4-10. In 20 starts of his first Major League season in 2014, Tanaka posted a 2.77 ERA with
141 strikeouts and a 13-5 record. International career
Tanaka was the only player to be chosen to the national team to play in the 2008 Beijing
Olympics from the Eagles, becoming the youngest Japanese baseball player to play in the Olympics
as a pro in the history of the event. He pitched in relief in Japan's first game against Cuba
in the group stage, throwing one scoreless inning and striking out three. While Tanaka
saw limited playing time as a middle reliever for the team, he recorded a 0.00 ERA and the
highest strikeout rate of any pitcher on the team.
He also played for Japan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, coming on in relief for
Satoshi Komatsu midway through the sixth inning of the seeding match against South Korea in
the second round but surrendering a home run to Lee Bum-Ho. He pitched in the semi-finals
against the United States, giving up a triple to Jimmy Rollins but striking out David Wright
to end the inning, contributing to Japan's second consecutive championship in the tournament.
Tanaka was highly expected to be the staff ace of Team Japan in the 2013 WBC, but poor
form in the build-up to the tournament led to concern over his performance. He started
the pool opener against Brazil and conceded an unearned run. He came on as a reliever
against Cuba and again conceded a run, before appearing to return to his usual form by striking
out 6 batters in 2 innings. Tanaka again came on as a reliever against Chinese Taipei and
had 2 good innings, shutting out the side with 4 strike outs, before conceding the equalizer
in his third inning at the bottom of the 8th. Up to that point, Tanaka's inconsistency produced
an ERA of 3.00, allowing 10 hits and 3 runs in 6 innings while striking out 10.
Career statistics Bold indicates league leader; statistics current
as of Jan 22, 2014 Pitching style
Tanaka is a right-handed pitcher who throws from a high three-quarter arm slot in a drop-and-drive
motion. He throws two fastballs usually in the low-90s that top out at 97 mph. He also
has a plus 84–88 mph splitter with late downward action, a plus slider in the low
to mid-80s, and an occasional curveball. Nickname
Tanaka is often affectionately referred to as Mā-kun by both fans and the media. The
nickname stuck after Tanaka and Saito told the media that that was what Tanaka was called
on the team during the U.S.-Japan High School Baseball Tournament that followed the national
tournament in 2006. Eagles manager Katsuya Nomura also often refers to Tanaka as "Mā-kun"
in interviews. While older players on the team generally call Tanaka by his surname,
some call him by the abbreviated nickname "Mā".
Personal life
Tanaka has publicly declared himself a zealous fan of Momoiro Clover Z, a popular female
idol group in Japan. He has attended the group's concerts multiple times. When practicing he
wears custom-made multicolored gloves in the five Momoiro Clover Z member colors and he
plays official games in gloves embroidered with a clover leaf. When his baseball team
presented its fan club members with "cheering goods", the towel saying "Tanaka" used the
same five colors. At the game in which the pitcher set a new Japanese professional baseball
record of 16 consecutive victories in one season, cheer banners of the same color scheme
were distributed among the spectators. He has used the group's songs as his "warm-up
song". After he joined Yankees, his warm-up song at home games is "My Dear Fellow" by
Momoiro Clover Z. This song was specially made for Tanaka and unveiled when he debuted
at Yankee Stadium, before it was released in Japan. New York Post said that "for when
the rookie threw his warmup pitches, he did so to the accompaniment of a Japanese pop
song — a tune unlike any other ever played here … Who else arrives in town with customized
musical accompaniment?" NJ.com, the biggest news website in New Jersey, said "Like Tanaka,
the act is a Japanese sensation. And like Momoiro Clover Z, Tanaka made his presence
vociferously known in the Bronx." Tanaka was engaged to Mai Satoda, a former
idol and television personality, on January 26, 2012. They officially registered their
marriage on March 20 of the same year. The wedding ceremony was held in Hawaii in December
2012. Satoda is also a fan of Momoiro Clover Z.
On October 5, 2014, Tanaka and Satoda were seen attending a Morning Musume concert in
New York. Morning Musume is the flagship group of Hello! Project, the same organization under
which Satoda worked when she was an idol. References
This article incorporates information from this version of the equivalent article on
the Japanese Wikipedia.
External links
Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs,
or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics
from Japanesebaseball.com