Yomiuri Giants newcomer Masahiro Tanaka appears at an introductory news conference alongside manager Shinnosuke Abe on December 25 in Tokyo. (ⒸSANKEI)
Read the full story on SportsLook - [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Masahiro Tanaka Gets a Fresh Start with the Yomiuri Giants
Masahiro Tanaka, who has a combined 197 wins in NPB and MLB, has joined the Yomiuri Giants on a one-year contract.
At an introductory news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, December 25, explained his motivation to keep pitching. "I want to prove that I can still pitch well," he told reporters.
Tanaka joined the Giants in the same month that 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, the team's longtime ace, signed a contract with MLB's Baltimore Orioles.
Instead of agreeing to a 40% pay cut for 2025, Tanaka, 36, asked the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to release him.
His request was granted by the team for which he won 119 games in 11 seasons.
The Giants offered Tanaka a one-year ¥160 million JPY (about $1.02 million USD) deal.
"I am very honored to be able to wear the uniform of the Giants, of which I have been a fan since I was a child," the Hyogo Prefecture native said, according to Daily Sports.
Ambitious Goals but Still a Question Mark
Masahiro Tanaka isn't thinking just about reaching his goal of 200 wins. He has set higher standards for himself.
"I don't want to stop at three wins," he was quoted as saying at the news conference by NHK. He then said, "I want to contribute to as many wins as possible for the team."
Tanaka added, "First of all, I need to win the competition so that I can be a member of the starting rotation."
Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe, entering his second season as the dugout boss in 2025, summarized his aspirations for Tanaka next season.
"I have high expectations for Tanaka, and all I want is for him to win double-digit games, put on a Giants uniform and become Japan's number one pitcher with us," Abe was quoted as saying by NHK.
It remains to be seen if Tanaka can still handle a heavy workload as a pitcher.
Tanaka had offseason surgery on his right elbow in 2023. Then, starting in August, he pitched in five games for Rakuten's Eastern League farm team.
After that, he made one start for the Eagles late in the season, working five innings and allowing six hits and four runs in a loss to the visiting Orix Buffaloes in Sendai on September 28.
"This was the first season in which I couldn't do anything, so it was extremely frustrating," Tanaka said, according to NHK.
Big Success in NPB and MLB
Masahiro Tanaka began his NPB career in 2007 and pitched for Rakuten until 2013. During that span, he had two incredible seasons, going 19-5 with a 1.27 ERA in 2011 and 24-0 with, again, a 1.27 ERA in 2013. The Eagles captured the Japan Series title in the final season of his first stint with the Pacific League club.
In January 2014, Tanaka signed a seven-year contract with the New York Yankees and compiled a 78-46 win-loss record for MLB's most storied franchise. He had double-digit win totals in each of his first six seasons in Yankee pinstripes, including a 14-4 record in 2016. Tanaka was a two-time MLB All-Star.
After returning to the Eagles in 2021, Tanaka had mixed results. And he no longer looked like the pitching ace he once was.
In 2021, he went 4-9 with a 3.01 ERA in 23 starts. A year later, he was 9-12 with a 3.31 ERA in 25 starts. In 2023, he went 7-11 with a 4.91 ERA, making 24 starts for Rakuten.
Tanaka said he is determined to rely on his veteran guile while pitching for the Giants. At the Christmas Day press gathering, he acknowledged he's a different pitcher now than he was in his unbeaten 2013 season.
"I will continue to train hard in the off-season and prepare for the start of camp," Tanaka said, referring to spring training, according to The Sankei Shimbun.
Continue reading the full story, which includes news items on soccer, basketball and more, on SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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