Masahiro Tanaka Yankees Stats & Rotation: Rookie Pitcher Becomes First to Win 11 Games in 2014
It's been a heck of a rookie season for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka so far.
Tanaka was by far the most profiled player this past offseason because of his proven talents with the Golden Eagles and his performances in the World Baseball Classic. That led to the New York Yankees signing Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million contract.
And so far, Tanaka has lived up to that contract in his 14 starts this season. In Tanaka's 14 starts, he is 11-1 with a 1.99 ERA with 119 strikeouts and just 16 walks. His strikeout to walk ratio is among the very best.
In the Yankees latest 3-1 victory over their American League East opponents Toronto Blue Jays, Tanaka pitched six innings, had 10 strikeouts, and allowed just one run. With his 11th victory of the season, Tanaka now leads all of Major League Baseball in wins -- second in strikeouts -- and has the third best ERA this season.
The Blue Jays currently lead the AL East by five wins, so every game is important, especially when it's divisional play. Tanaka accounts for nearly one-third of the Yankees' victories this season.
Tanaka's great play couldn't come at a better time with veteran pitcher CC Sabathia struggling and the offense not playing up to expectations. The Yankees offense ranks No. 21 overall in runs scored and No. 21 overall in home runs hit. The Yankees rank outside the top 15 in every major hitting category. Not exactly the Bronx Bombers we're used to seeing
Manager Joe Girardi has been supervising Tanaka's playing time very well so far this season. He knows (especially as a former player) that overplaying Tanaka can have negative effects on his arm. The worst, of course, being the infamous Tommy John Surgery that results in a loss of an entire season. Tanaka doesn't rely on the fastball very often so it's unlikely he will "over pitch" or throw his arm out.
One of the most impressive things with Tanaka this season is his resilience. Time and time again we've seen him allow a home run early in the game only to finish with an incredibly strong performance. The very first batter Tanaka faced in the majors hit a home run on April 4, when the Yankees played the Blue Jays. Coincidently, Tanaka allowed a home run on the very first pitch he threw in his last game against the Blue Jays, from Dominican All-Star Jose Reyes. But as usual, Reyes' homer had no impact on Tanaka. He didn't allow another run for the remainder of his time in the game.
The Yankees appear to have struck gold with Masahiro Tanaka. It's not very often players can perform up to the hype that comes with a huge contract, especially when you're going to play with the New York Yankees. With Derek Jeter set to retire after this season, Tanaka will be the face of the franchise.
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