Former New York Yankee Masahiro Tanaka made his first rehab appearance for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. The 35-year-old righty is in his second stint with the Golden Eagles, coming back from a right elbow surgery.
Tanaka faced off in a rehab game against Fuji University, where he threw one inning. He allowed two hits and two runs, with his velocity topping at 91 miles per hour. Neither of the two runs were earned. During his time in the MLB, Tanaka’s fastball sat around 91-92 miles per hour, so he still has his velocity after the elbow injury.
Tanaka was born in Itama, a city in Hyogo, Japan. He signed with the Golden Eagles in 2007 and won the Pacific League Rookie of the Year award in his first year. He pitched for the Golden Eagles until 2013. Tanaka won the Pacific League MVP and Sawamura award in his last season while leading the Golden Eagles to the Japan Series Championship.
After his dominant 2013, Tanaka signed a seven-year deal for 155 million dollars with the New York Yankees. Tanaka played seven seasons for the Yankees, being named a two-time all-star and finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. He finished his Yankee career with a 78-46 record and a 3.74 ERA.
After the shortened 2020 MLB season, Tanaka returned to Japan. He re-signed with the Golden Eagles and has remained with them ever since. Tanaka struggled in the 2023 season, and following the season, in October, he got surgery on his throwing elbow.
Tanaka hopes to return to his peak form, and this rehab start is the first step in the right direction.
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WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
Photo Credit: Masahiro Tanaka #18 of Team Japan warms up before the game against Team Mexico during the baseball opening round Group A game on day eight of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on July 31, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
