Masahiro Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven seasons for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2020, compiling a 78-46 record with a 3.74 ERA and one of the filthiest splitters anyone in the Bronx has ever seen. He signed a 7-year, $155 million contract after going 24-0 in Japan -- yes, twenty-four and zero -- and then pitched his entire Yankees career on a partially torn UCL because the man simply didn't believe in taking days off.

The Road from Rakuten

Here's the thing about Tanaka's path to New York: he didn't just come from Japan. He came from the wreckage of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, pitching for a Rakuten franchise -- an expansion club that hadn't even existed before 2005 -- that had become a symbol of regional recovery. By 2013, he'd gone 99-35 in NPB with a 2.30 ERA, capped by that absurd 24-0 season -- a 1.27 ERA over 212 innings, a Japan Series title, and a relief appearance in Game 7 on fumes because his manager, Senichi Hoshino, didn't care about pitch counts. (Some doctors later wondered if that workload contributed to what happened next.)

Brian Cashman needed an ace after a disappointing 85-77 in . The posting system had just been restructured with a $20 million cap, and multiple teams -- the Dodgers, Cubs, and others -- came calling. Tanaka picked the Yankees. He cited the history, the stage, and the roster that still had Jeter and CC Sabathia. On January 22, 2014, Cashman made it official: $155 million, seven years, the biggest contract ever given to a player posting from an Asian league at the time.

Yankees Career

Tanaka's debut season looked like it'd produce one of the best pitching lines in franchise history. Through most of the first half, his ERA sat under 2.00. He looked like a Cy Young front-runner. Then on July 8, 2014, the MRI came back: partial tear of the UCL.

Every doctor in the building pointed toward Tommy John surgery. Tanaka said no.

He chose PRP therapy and rest, came back August 1st, and pitched the rest of the season. And then he pitched another six seasons -- 174 starts in all -- on a ligament that doctors figured would blow out any given Tuesday. It never did. (Medical science still doesn't have a great explanation for this, by the way.)

Did the tear change him? Absolutely. First-half-of-2014 Tanaka was a different animal -- the kind of guy who made lineups look stupid. Post-tear Tanaka was a rock-solid number two who gave you 30 starts a year, kept his team in games, and turned into an absolute monster every October. His 2019 ALDS Game 1 against Minnesota -- 9 innings, 10 strikeouts, zero walks, 1 earned run -- was the best start any Yankee pitcher had that entire postseason window. (The Twins didn't know what hit them, which, to be fair, was a recurring theme for them in October.)

Key Moments

The Splitter

You can't write about Tanaka without talking about the pitch. His split-finger fastball -- or forkball, if you're Japanese about it -- came in around 83-86 mph and dropped off a freakin' table. Swing-and-miss rates above 45% in his best stretches. Hitters knew it was coming and still couldn't lay off. When Tanaka had command of the splitter, his ERA would drop by a full run compared to days when he couldn't find it. (Other pitchers studied his grip like it was homework. It was homework.)

The opt-out decision after told you everything about the guy. He'd just posted a 4.74 ERA, his market value was shaky, and the smart money said he should stay put. So he stayed -- three more years, $67 million, no complaints. Whether that was loyalty or pragmatism, it was quiet and it was Tanaka.

The Yankees let him walk over what amounted to a rounding error in their payroll. He went back to Tohoku, back to the fans who'd watched him carry a region's grief on his arm, and nobody in the Bronx could really blame him for it.