I have a confession to make: I’m going to miss Masahiro Tanaka.
As a Mets fan, it’s rare for me to develop an affinity for a Yankees player. Typically, I find players from that franchise to be insanely overhyped.
There are exceptions to every rule, however. And there are Yankees — like Bernie Williams and Didi Gregorius — that I not only tolerate, but actively root for.
Tanaka fits into that category, and now that he’s headed back to his original Japanese team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, I am more keenly aware of how much I enjoyed watching him pitch. You may recall that Tanaka’s arrival in the US was heralded by great fanfare; fresh off a season in which he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in Japan, the righty signed a seven-year, $155 million deal with the Yankees in 2014.
A Terrific Tenure
Just how successful was Tanaka’s major league tenure? A tweet by the New York Times announcing his return to Japan claimed that “Tanaka never lived up to the hype attached to his $155 million contract, but he made two All-Star teams and was the Yankees’ opening day starter four times.”
The Times was rightfully skewered for mischaracterizing Tanaka’s career. In his 2014 rookie season, in which he made the All-Star team and pitched to a 2.77 ERA over 20 starts, he was every bit the ace that the Yankees desired. Besides downplaying his early dominance, the Times tweet ignored a critical detail: Tanaka remained a workhorse despite constant concern over his elbow.
Remember, it was in 2014 that Tanaka was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL. He decided against Tommy John surgery and instead rested his elbow for six weeks. From that point on, the question of whether Tanaka should undergo the operation became an annual topic of debate. Incredibly, his elbow never gave out, and he stayed healthy enough to log at least 24 starts and 150 innings each year from 2015 to 2019.
Powerful Postseason Performances
Sure, Tanaka never recaptured the brilliance that defined his rookie season. But he avoided extended trips to the Injured List, and saved his best performances for the postseason stage. Before an ineffective 2020 postseason (11 ER in 8 IP) distorted his career stat line, Tanaka recorded a 1.76 ERA and 0.78 WHIP over eight career playoff starts. He blanked the Indians in a do-or-die 2017 ALDS start, then held the Astros to two runs over 13 innings in the Championship Series.
That is, above all else, what I’ll miss about Tanaka: his unflappable countenance. He approached every start, no matter the magnitude, with the same level-headed focus. And he was adept at improvising when needed. In 2019, for instance, he changed the grip on his signature pitch, the splitter, to adjust to the increased slickness of MLB baseballs.
Searle’s Final Say
Tanaka doesn’t call attention to himself; he simply goes out and competes with everything he has. His Yankees departure might not seem like a major development…and yet it could have serious ramifications on the club going forward. The 2021 Yankees are betting on career revivals from Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon — two pitchers who combined to throw one inning last season.
What the Yankees will miss is their most dependable arm, the Masa-“Hero” who never wilted under the pressure of pitching in pinstripes.
