Can he return to the real game after rehabilitating Tanaka with 197 wins and two runs in one inning against the university team and fill the remaining three wins

Aug 10, 2024

Tanaka returned to the game against the college team on the 7th. He took the mound for the first time in 140 days since the second-tier game in March and allowed two hits and two runs in one inning. Sports Nippon Headquarters Partnership

Masahiro Tanaka (36), a right-hander of the Rakuten Eagles who was looking for a career-high 200 wins in the U.S. and Japan, has never taken the mound in the first division this season. He was out of power after a match between the Yokohama BayStars and the Eastern League (second division) on March 20. He underwent surgery on his right elbow in October last year and went through a rehabilitation process to prepare for the season with enthusiasm. I started from the first team spring camp. I tried to raise my pace in time for the opening, but it didn't go my way.

The U.S. and Japan have 197 wins. He has 119 wins for Rakuten and 78 wins for the New York Yankees. He aimed to achieve a milestone by winning three games this season. I went downhill after returning from the major leagues, but it didn't seem difficult without injuries.

However, the start of the second division was decided and the operation was stopped due to poor condition. There were occasional reports on Tanaka's movements in rehabilitation in the second division, mainly pessimistic about the timing of his return. Rakuten, which has one of its main pitchers missing, has not escaped the B-class (4th to 6th place out of the six teams in the league).

Earlier, it was expected that Tanaka will try to win 200 games next year by taking a rest this year without taking the mound in the first team. There was also a cynical reaction that he would not have a problem renewing his contract even if he took a full break this year because he was the ace and face of the team that led Rakuten to its only championship in 2013.

The forgotten old 'Super Ace' moves. On the 7th, he threw 22 pitches in a second-tier practice game with Fuji University. It was the first real game in 140 days since March.

He walked the first batter with a shortstop error and the second batter with two consecutive hits. After that, he handled the three batters with an outfield fly ball.

Two hits and two runs in one inning. Even if it is his first appearance after rehabilitation, it is a disappointing record considering that it was a performance against a college team. The maximum speed hit 146 km/h.

Tanaka, who won his 197th career victory with the U.S. and Japan in August last year, has 200 wins and three wins left. He aimed to achieve a milestone this season, but failed to take the mound in the first-team game due to the aftereffects of elbow surgery. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

Tanaka told Japanese media "It wasn't a good thing, but I'm glad I was able to take the mound and throw the ball. I'm relieved. He took a big step, but he needs more time to return to the first team. When asked if he was aiming to play in the first team game within this year, he said, "I wouldn't have played without that mindset."

A club official said, `We plan to gradually increase the number of pitches. In the next game, he will leave 45 pitches as the upper limit. Japanese media reported that Tanaka will take the mound in an away game against Yokohama in the Eastern League on the 13th.

Throwing seven years with the New York Yankees and wearing the Rakuten uniform again in 2021. For the second consecutive year, he received the highest annual salary of 900 million yen in Japanese professional baseball.

However, Tanaka was not what he used to be. He lost the overwhelming power of his opponent. 4 wins in 2021, 9 wins in 2022, 7 wins in 2023. In 2022, he recorded his first double-digit loss as a professional and the most in the league. He had a 4.91 ERA last season. It's a series of humiliation.

In the meantime, his annual salary was cut by more than 600 million yen. In January, he renewed his contract for 260 million yen.

Ace Tanaka, who once represented Japanese baseball, returned to Rakuten after a seven-year major league career in 2021. After returning, he failed to show the expected performance for three years. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

the twilight after one's prime. There are 200 wins left in total, so you can't go down the mound. Tanaka said this record is one of the driving forces behind baseball.

Senior Darvish Yu (38), who was competing with Tanaka, won his 200th career victory over the Atlanta Braves on May 20.

huelva@sportschosun.com