Masahiro Tanaka is Pitching Really Well These Days

Last winter, one of the bigger feeding frenzies in the major league baseball free agent market had to do with Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.  Pitching for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League in 2013, Tanaka was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 212 innings.  Those are almost unbelievable numbers no matter what league they were in, but there is always a question of if a player from a league in a foreign country can have success in the majors.  The New York Yankees, among other teams, were sure that Tanaka is the real deal, and signed the 25 year old right hander to a six year $155 million contract.

So how is that working out?  If the first six weeks of the 2014 season are any indication, the Yankees have hit the jackpot.  On May 14th, Tanaka pitched his first major league shutout, blanking the Mets 4-0.  He struck out eight Mets and walked none for his sixth win and a sparkling 2.17 ERA; he has yet to lose this season. His 66 strikeouts and just seven walks in 58 innings is outstanding. Here hs is in action on May 14th:

After opposing batters get a little more used to him, Tanaka may hit a few bumps in the road but there’s no question that he’s got a lot of talent.