NEW YORK, NY - JULY 17: Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on July 17, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
On Thursday, free-agent right-hander Masahiro Tanaka announced that he will return to Japan to pitch for his original club, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Tanaka made his announcement after being granted free agency following the end of his seven-year tenure with the New York Yankees.
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“I have decided to return to Japan and play for the Rakuten Eagles for the 2021 season,” Tanaka wrote in his announcement on Twitter. “I wanted to make sure and touch base with you, and thank you for all the love and support you have given me for the past 7 seasons.
“I feel extremely fortunate for having the opportunity to take the field as a member of the New York Yankees and play in front of all you passionate fans. It has been an honor and a privilege! Thank you so much!!”
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The 32-year-old ace is coming off an injury-ridden season. Tanaka missed considerable playing time in the already abbreviated 60-game 2020 regular season after taking a ball to the head by teammate Giancarlo Stanton during live batting practice. In 2020, Tanaka went 3-3 and posted a 3.56 ERA.
Across Tanaka’s seven MLB seasons as a Yankee starter from 2014-2020, he earned a spot on the AL All-Star team twice. He is known for his consistency as a starting pitcher, and he went 78-46 in a total of 173 starts over the course of his career.
In 2014, it was discovered that Tanaka had a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow. From then on, the Yankees tried to give him extra rest between starts.
Over the course of his career, Tanaka has pitched exceptionally well in the playoffs, going 5-4 and posting a 4.18 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 54 innings over 10 playoff games. His best postseason run was in 2017 when he went 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA, 18 strikeouts and three walks in 20 innings.
Before coming to America to play for the Yankees, Tanaka went 99-35, posting a 2.30 ERA in seven seasons with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Now, it’s time for Tanaka to go home.
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