Masahiro Tanaka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Masahiro Tanaka田中 将大 |
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Tanaka with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
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| Yomiuri Giants – No. 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: November 1, 1988 Itami, Hyōgo, Japan |
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| Professional debut | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB: March 29, 2007, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB: April 4, 2014, for the New York Yankees | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 119–68 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 2.67 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,572 | |||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2020 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 78–46 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.74 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 991 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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| Masahiro Tanaka | |||||
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| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 田中 将大 | ||||
| Hiragana | たなか まさひろ | ||||
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Masahiro Tanaka (田中 将大, Tanaka Masahiro, born November 1, 1988) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He plays for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He also played for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in NPB and the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Tanaka played for the Eagles from 2007 to 2013. After the 2013 season, he joined the New York Yankees in MLB. He signed a big seven-year contract. He played for the Yankees until 2020. Then, he decided to return to Japan. Tanaka has shared that he returned to Japan partly because of safety concerns for his family.
He was the Eagles' first pick in the 2006 NPB draft. From 2012 to 2013, he won 26 games in a row. This set a new NPB record. In MLB, Tanaka was the Yankees' Opening Day starting pitcher four times. He was also chosen as an All-Star twice.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Masahiro Tanaka was born in Itami, a city in Hyōgo, Japan. He started playing baseball in the first grade. He played as a catcher for a Little League team. His teammate was Hayato Sakamoto, who is now a Yomiuri Giants shortstop. Tanaka and Sakamoto were key players in their team's batting order.
Later, Tanaka played for the Takarazuka Boys. He attended Itami Municipal Matsuzaki Junior High School. He played both pitcher and catcher because he had a very strong throwing arm. In his last year of junior high, he was chosen for a special regional team.
High School Baseball Career
Becoming a Star Pitcher
Tanaka went to Komazawa University Tomakomai High School. There, he focused only on being a pitcher. He had a very fast fastball and a strong slider. He led his team to win the 87th National High School Baseball tournament. This big tournament was held at Koshien Stadium.
In that tournament, his last pitch was recorded at 150 km/h (about 93 mph). This was a record for a junior pitcher. Many professional scouts were already interested in him. He also helped the Japanese team win a title in a world junior championship.
Challenges and Big Games
After becoming the team's main pitcher, Tanaka led his high school team to more wins. They won a regional title and another tournament in the fall. However, his team had to withdraw from a big spring tournament. This was due to some issues with other players.
In the summer of 2006, Tomakomai High made it to the National High School Baseball Championship finals again. Tanaka was not feeling well before the tournament. His coach rested him at the start of the final game. But Tanaka came in as a relief pitcher later in the game.
He pitched very well, but the game ended in a 1–1 tie after 15 innings. This meant they had to play a rematch the next day. This was a rare event in the tournament's history.
The Famous Rematch
In the rematch, Tanaka came in early again. But his team lost to Waseda Jitsugyo High School. The opposing team's star pitcher, Yuki Saito, was also excellent. The pitching battles between Tanaka and Saito became very famous in Japan that year.
Tanaka pitched a lot during the tournament, even though he was sick. He threw 742 pitches in total. He also set a new high school record for strikeouts in his career. He had 458 strikeouts, passing Daisuke Matsuzaka's old record.
Joining Professional Baseball
After high school, Tanaka was the most wanted player in the NPB draft. Several teams wanted to pick him first. The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles won the chance to sign him. He signed a big contract and was given jersey number 18. This number is often given to the best pitcher on a Japanese team.
Professional Baseball Career
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (First Time)
Rookie Season: 2007
Tanaka started his professional career with the Eagles in 2007. He made his debut on March 29. His first win came on April 18, where he pitched a complete game. On June 13, he threw a complete-game shutout. He was the first high school rookie to do this since Yu Darvish.
He was also chosen to start in the NPB All-Star Game. He became the first high school rookie to do so since Daisuke Matsuzaka. Tanaka finished his first year with 11 wins and a 3.82 ERA. He had 196 strikeouts, which was very high. He was named the Pacific League Most Valuable Rookie.
Continued Success: 2008-2009
In 2008, Tanaka continued to be a key pitcher for the Eagles. He also played for the Japanese national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2009, he started the season incredibly strong. He pitched four complete-game wins in a row. He was named the Pacific League's monthly Most Valuable Player for April.
Historic 2013 Season
The 2013 season was amazing for Tanaka. On September 13, he set a new NPB record. He won his 21st game in a row that season. This also extended his overall winning streak to 25 games. This streak was longer than any in MLB history.
On September 26, he helped the Eagles win their first Pacific League title. He came in as a closer to finish the game. He ended the regular season with an incredible 24–0 record. His ERA was a league-best 1.27. He was the second pitcher in NPB history to have an undefeated season.
Tanaka won his second Sawamura Award, given to the best pitcher. Including postseason games, his record was 30–1. He helped the Golden Eagles win their first Japan Series title. He even got the save in the final game.
New York Yankees (MLB)
After his incredible 2013 season, MLB teams wanted Tanaka. The Eagles "posted" him, allowing MLB teams to bid for him. On January 22, 2014, Tanaka signed a seven-year contract with the New York Yankees. The deal was worth $155 million.
MLB Debut and First Seasons: 2014-2015
Tanaka made his MLB debut on April 4, 2014. He earned his first MLB win in that game. On May 14, he pitched his first complete game in the majors. He started his American career with a 6–0 record. His first loss in MLB came on May 20. This was his first loss in any professional league since August 2012.
He was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a reserve. In July 2014, Tanaka had an arm injury. He chose to rest and rehab his elbow instead of having surgery. He returned in September and finished the season with a 13–5 record and a 2.77 ERA.
In 2015, Tanaka was the Yankees' Opening Day starter. He had another arm issue in April but returned in June. He finished the season with 12 wins and a 3.51 ERA. He also had a very low WHIP (walks and hits per inning).
Consistent Performance: 2016-2017
Tanaka was the Opening Day starter again in 2016. He had a strong season, making a career-high 31 starts. He avoided any time on the disabled list. He finished the year with 14 wins, 165 strikeouts, and a 3.07 ERA. This was the third-best ERA in the American League. He was also considered for the Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher.
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In 2017, Tanaka was the Opening Day starter for the third time. He had some struggles early in the season. But he pitched a complete-game shutout against the Red Sox on April 27. This was his second career shutout. He also set a new career-high with 14 strikeouts in a game in July.
Tanaka earned his tenth win of the season in August. This made him the first Japanese pitcher in MLB history to have double-digit wins in all of his first four seasons. He finished 2017 with 13 wins and 194 strikeouts. In the postseason, he pitched very well. He helped the Yankees advance in the playoffs. In November 2017, Tanaka decided to stay with the Yankees for the rest of his contract.
Later Yankees Years: 2018-2020
Tanaka's 2018 season started well. He pitched a complete-game shutout against the Rays in June. In 2019, he made his fourth Opening Day start for the Yankees. This set a record for Japanese pitchers. He was also named an MLB All-Star again. In October 2019, he had surgery on his right elbow.
In 2020, Tanaka was hit in the head by a batted ball during practice. He suffered a mild concussion. He returned to pitch in August. He finished the shortened 2020 season with a 3–3 record and a 3.56 ERA.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Second Time)
After the 2020 season, Tanaka decided to leave MLB and return to Japan. He shared that he made this choice partly due to concerns for his family's safety. On January 28, 2021, Tanaka signed a two-year contract to return to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. This made him the highest-paid player in NPB history. He continued to wear his familiar number 18.
He re-signed with Rakuten in 2023. In 24 games, he had 7 wins and 11 losses. After the 2023 season, he had another elbow surgery. Tanaka made one appearance for Rakuten in 2024. In November 2024, Tanaka and the Eagles decided to part ways.
Yomiuri Giants
On December 15, 2024, Tanaka signed with the Yomiuri Giants in NPB.
International Baseball Career
Playing for Japan
Tanaka has represented Japan in several international tournaments.
2008 Olympics
He was the youngest Japanese professional baseball player to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He pitched well in relief, helping the team.
2009 World Baseball Classic
He also played for Japan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He pitched in the semifinals against the United States. Japan won their second championship in this tournament.
2013 World Baseball Classic
Tanaka was expected to be a top pitcher for Team Japan in the 2013 WBC. He pitched in several games, sometimes as a starter and sometimes in relief. He helped the team, even though he had some inconsistent moments.
Pitching Style
Masahiro Tanaka is a right-handed pitcher. He throws from a high arm slot. He uses two types of fastballs, usually around 90 mph. His best pitch is often his splitter, which drops sharply. He also throws a slider and sometimes a curveball.
Later in his MLB career, he added a cutter pitch. Tanaka is known for his excellent control. He does not walk many batters.
Nickname
Fans and media often call Tanaka by the nickname Mā-kun (マー君). This nickname became popular during his high school days. Even his former Eagles manager, Katsuya Nomura, used this nickname. When he played for the Yankees, he sometimes wore "Masa" on his jersey during special games.
Personal Life
Tanaka is a big fan of Momoiro Clover Z, a popular Japanese idol group. He has gone to their concerts many times. When he practices, he wears special gloves with the five colors of the group's members. He even has a clover leaf embroidered on his game gloves.
He uses the group's songs as his "warm-up song" before games. When he joined the Yankees, Momoiro Clover Z made a special song for him called "My Dear Fellow." This song was played when he warmed up at Yankee Stadium.
In January 2020, Tanaka started his own YouTube channel. He shares videos about his daily life there.
Family Life
Tanaka is married to Mai Satoda. She was a member of another idol group and is a television personality. They got married in Hawaii in December 2012. Their son was born on February 15, 2016. Mai Satoda is also a fan of Momoiro Clover Z.
Images for kids
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Tanaka as a pitcher for Tomakomai High (taken August 17, 2006, at Koshien Stadium)
See also
In Spanish: Masahiro Tanaka para niños
