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TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 15: Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the eighth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 15, 2015 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Yankees Player of the Week: 8/10-8/16 Edition

Although the New York Yankees posted a .500 record this past week, the club was able to regain first place in the American League East Division. During a huge series with the division rival Toronto Blue Jays, Masahiro Tanaka dominated in his lone start this week, earning him this week’s player of the week honors.

As the team’s starting pitching has struggled to provide length deep into ball games, manager Joe Girardi has had to rely on his bullpen an awful lot so far during the 2015 season. With the bullpen needing a little bit of rest, Tanaka stepped up to the challenge, hurling a complete game in a 4-1 victory.

In the start, the 26-year-old allowed one run on five hits, walking three while striking out eight. The Blue Jays were able to load the bases with no outs in the fifth inning, but Tanaka worked out of the jam, only allowing the one run to come in to score. The right hander threw 112 pitches, his second highest pitch count of the season (114 pitches vs. Oak, July 9)

With the Yankees right in the middle of the division race,Β having Tanaka pitch at his ace-type caliber would be a huge benefit for this team. If he could build off this last start, he could be a huge catalyst for this Yankees team who is looking for an ace to step up to the challenge.

Honorable Mention:

Carlos Beltran (.389 BA (7-20), 3 HRs, 5 RBIs, 4 Rs)
Jacoby Ellsbury (.280 BA (7-25), 1 HR, 2 RBIs)
Dellin Betances (3 Gs, 3.1 IP, 2 Hs, 0 ERs)
Ivan Nova (7 IP, 5 Hs, 3 ERs, 3 Ks)