BASEBALL | Masahiro Tanaka Returning to Rakuten Eagles

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As expected, pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has accepted a contract offer from the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the Nippon Professional Baseball team announced on Thursday, January 28.

A free agent after spending the past seven seasons with the New York Yankees and compiling a 78-46 record, the 32-year-old Tanaka began his pro career with Rakuten in 2007. He left to join the Major League Baseball team after helping lead the Eagles to a Japan Series crown in 2013.

Tanaka was one of the elite pitchers in Japan before joining the Yankees. He owned a 99-35 record in the regular season, including 19-5 in 2011 and 24-0 in 2013.

The Pacific League club is scheduling a news conference to provide more details.

In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Tanaka wrote a heartfelt farewell note to Yankees supporters: "To my beloved fans, I hope everybody is keeping safe during these difficult times. I wanted to reach out to you because I have made a decision about where I will be playing in this upcoming season. I have decided to return to Japan and play for the Rakuten Eagles for the 2021 season. 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 seven 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!!"

Tanaka, who wore jersey No. 18 in his first stint with Rakuten, will wear the same jersey number this season, the team said. 

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The Eagles are coming off a 55-57-8 season. They finished in fourth place in the six-team Pacific League, 16 1/2 games behind the pennant-winning Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who won their fourth straight Japan Series title.

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Author:  Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays,  in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven.

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