Fastball

Former New York Yankees Ace Moves Closer to Big Milestone While Playing in Japan

Masahiro Tanaka, who starred for the Yankees over seven seasons, is closing in on 200 career wins.
Brady Farkas|
New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in 2020.
New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in 2020. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

Former New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka is closing in on a big milestone while playing for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.

According to JapanBall, Tanaka earned the win in his Giants debut, giving him 198 total wins between the NPB and MLB.

  • Masahiro Tanaka made his Yomiuri Giants debut with five innings of one-run ball en route to his first NPB win since August 2023.

Tanaka is now in his 19th professional season between his 12 years in the NPB and seven in the majors with the Yankees.

He came to the Yankees in the 2014 season, staying through the COVID 2020 season. In the majors, he went 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA, helping the Yankees to the ALCS in 2017. Tanaka was a two-time All-Star in the States and also received Cy Young votes in 2016.

Tanaka is just one of several Japanese players to come to the United States and have success during the 2000s. Ichiro Suzuki, Kaz Sasaki, Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani are just some of the names, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki also working to establish themselves now.

Tanaka made only six appearances in 2024 for Rakuten, with only one of those coming for their true NPB affiliate.

If he stays healthy, it seems likely that Tanaka will hit the 200-win mark this season. Now 36, it's unclear how long he wants to keep playing for, but he could have a chance to chase more milestones if he desires. He has thrown nearly 2,900 professional innings in his life.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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