Masahiro Tanaka

Born: 11/1/1988 in Itami, Hyogo, Japan

MLB Debut: 2014-04-04 | Final Game: 2020-09-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 218 lbs

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Biography

Masahiro Tanaka, born in 1988, was a prominent Japanese pitcher who had a successful career in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2014 to 2020. Known for his exceptional skills on the mound, Tanaka achieved a career record of 78-46 and boasted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.74. His ability to strike out batters was evident as he recorded 991 strikeouts during his time in the league. Despite not recording any saves, Tanaka's role as a starting pitcher allowed him to showcase his talent in high-pressure situations, contributing significantly to his teams. Tanaka's career was marked by his selection as an All-Star twice, underscoring his impact and recognition within the league. He played during a period characterized by the increasing globalization of baseball, particularly the influx of talented players from Japan to the MLB. His strong performances and unique pitching style, which featured a devastating splitter, made him a key figure in both the New York Yankees' rotation and among international players in the league. Tanaka's legacy remains influential, as he bridged the gap between Japanese baseball and the Major Leagues, paving the way for future stars from his homeland.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
78	46	174	173	7	4	0	1054.3	983	438	159	208	991	3.74	0

Career ERA 3.74 vs. league average 4.17 across their career seasons — 10.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2014	NYY	AL	13	5	20	20	3	1	136.3	123	42	21	141	2.77	3.74 (+26%)	-
2015	NYY	AL	12	7	24	24	1	0	154.0	126	60	27	139	3.51	3.96 (+11%)	-
2016	NYY	AL	14	4	31	31	0	0	199.7	179	68	36	165	3.07	4.19 (+27%)	-
2017	NYY	AL	13	12	30	30	1	1	178.3	180	94	41	194	4.74	4.36 (-9%)	-
2018	NYY	AL	12	6	27	27	1	1	156.0	141	65	35	159	3.75	4.15 (+10%)	-
2019	NYY	AL	11	9	32	31	1	1	182.0	186	90	40	149	4.45	4.51 (+1%)	-
2020	NYY	AL	3	3	10	10	0	0	48.0	48	19	8	44	3.56	4.45 (+20%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
174	27	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	12	0.037	0.071	0.037	0.108	0.0

Career AVG .037 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 85.3% below league average.

Career OBP .071 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 77.7% below league average.

Career SLG .037 vs. league average .413 across their career seasons — 91.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.108 vs. league average 0.733 across their career seasons — 85.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS
2014	NYY	AL	20	9	0	1	0	5	0.111	—	—	—	—
2015	NYY	AL	24	7	0	0	1	2	0.000	—	—	—	—
2016	NYY	AL	31	2	0	0	0	2	0.000	—	—	—	—
2017	NYY	AL	30	2	0	0	0	2	0.000	—	—	—	—
2018	NYY	AL	27	6	1	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—
2019	NYY	AL	32	1	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—
2020	NYY	AL	10	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AVG
2020	ALDS1	NYA	1	.000
2020	ALWC2	NYA	1	.000
2019	ALCS	NYA	2	.000
2019	ALDS2	NYA	1	.000
2018	ALDS1	NYA	1	.000
2017	ALCS	NYA	2	.000
2017	ALDS1	NYA	1	.000
2015	ALWC	NYA	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
5	4	10	10	0	54.0	38	20	15	44	3.33

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2020	ALDS1	NYA	0	1	1	1	4.0	8	5	1	4	11.25
2020	ALWC2	NYA	0	0	1	1	4.0	5	6	3	3	13.50
2019	ALCS	NYA	1	1	2	2	11.0	5	3	3	5	2.45
2019	ALDS2	NYA	1	0	1	1	5.0	3	1	1	7	1.80
2018	ALDS1	NYA	1	0	1	1	5.0	3	1	1	4	1.80
2017	ALCS	NYA	1	1	2	2	13.0	7	2	2	11	1.38
2017	ALDS1	NYA	1	0	1	1	7.0	3	0	1	7	0.00
2015	ALWC	NYA	0	1	1	1	5.0	4	2	3	3	3.60