Ex-Yankees' All-Star Pitcher Signs With Yomiuri Giants

This former Yankee fan-favorite is with a new team.

Oct 7, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning during game three of the 2020 ALDS at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

A former fan-favorite of the New York Yankees has found a new home.

Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who pitched for the Bronx Bombers from 2014 to 2020, has signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The Yakyu Cosmopolitan was the first to report the signing.

The Yomiuri Giants will sign RHP Masahiro Tanaka, who was non-tendered by the Rakuten Eagles last month.

Manager Abe hopes he can replace Tomoyuki Sugano as a veteran leader among pitchers.

The 36-year-old is 3 wins away from 200 between NPB & MLB.

https://t.co/286E433VsZ

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) December 15, 2024

Tanaka's time with the Yankees was sandwiched between two stints with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, who he pitched for a combined 11 seasons. He made his debut with the Golden Eagles at the age of 18 and won the Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007; six seasons later, he was named Pacific League MVP after going 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA.

After his perfect season in 2013, Tanaka was posted during the offseason and signed with the Yankees to a record-setting seven-year, $155 million contract. The righty set the tone for a successful tenure with a strong 2014 campaign, tossing 136.1 innings and going 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, and 141 strikeouts against just 21 walks; he would earn the first of two career MLB All-Star selections that year.

Across his time in New York, Tanaka threw 1,054 innings and posted a 78-46 record with a 3.74 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, and 991 strikeouts against only 208 walks. While he generally struggled to keep the ball in the ballpark (giving up 35 home runs in 2017 alone), his strong command made him remarkably efficient on the mound; of his 173 starts, Tanaka recorded a quality start in 100 of them. The righty further endeared himself to fans with solid postseason play, logging a 5-4 record with a 3.33 ERA in 10 playoff starts; this included two performances of seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2017 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians and in Game 5 of the 2017 ALCS against the Houston Astros, both in Yankee Stadium.

After 2020, Tanaka returned to the Golden Eagles for four seasons; however, he made only one start for them in 2024, going five innings and allowing four runs. Despite this, the Giants are hoping that the 36-year-old still has something left in the tank, as they signed the righty as a replacement for 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, who has pitched for Yomiuri for the past 12 years and is planning on signing with an MLB team this offseason. Tanaka is additionally just three wins away from reaching the 200-win milestone, which combines his NPB and MLB totals.

The Giants are, coincidentally, considered to be NPB's equivalent of the Yankees, as they play in the largest national media market (Tokyo) and have won the most championships in the league's history (22). With Tanaka having already handled the Big Apple, he should be well-equipped to pitch under the bright lights of the Tokyo Dome.