Masahiro Tanaka, Rakuten: “Double-digit black stars and a 5-point defensive batting average at one point.

I haven’t pitched well at all all season long, and that’s why I’m like this.

Masahiro Tanaka (34) expressed his mixed feelings after the game against Nippon Ham on September 25, despite pitching well, allowing one run in seven innings.

Indeed, Tanaka has been “not pitching well” this season, and in a September 18 game against the Orix, he allowed five runs on seven hits in less than three innings, suffering his 10th loss and his earned-run average temporarily dropping to the 5-point range. After returning to the bench, Tanaka slumped his shoulders in disappointment and said after the game, “I apologize to the fans.

After the game, he said, “I feel bad for the fans. He doesn’t look confident on the mound, and I don’t see the spark he had in 2001, when he led Rakuten to its first Japan championship by winning a professional baseball record 24 consecutive games from the start of the season.

His arm is not swinging well, and his straight line, which used to twist batters around, lacks sharpness. I have the impression that he is putting them down. He has been getting hit by sliders and other breaking pitches that he throws out of frustration, and he has been on fire in many games.

First year with the Yankees was a turning point

Why did Tanaka’s pitches lose their power and why was he unable to control hitters as much as he wanted?

I think it’s a consequence theory, but he should have had surgery to repair the partial tear in his right elbow ligament that was discovered in the summer of 2002, his first year in the majors. However, Tanaka chose to continue his rehabilitation with PRP therapy, a conservative treatment, and return to the game early.

Since he had just signed a multi-year contract with the Yankees, it is understandable that he wanted to avoid a prolonged absence. …… That year was a turning point for Tanaka, and it seems that his pitch count gradually dropped and the number of times he was hit by one shot increased.

Tanaka returned to Japanese baseball in the 2009 season with much fanfare after his success in the majors. However, he has been hammered in some open games and has not achieved double-digit win totals until this season, his third year back in Japan.

He was selected as a member of the Samurai Japan team for the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2009, but was KO’d in the first game of the final tournament against the United States, giving up three runs in four innings. Even on the professional baseball mound, he does not have the aura he once had.

I don’t feel the “prestige” of a former major leaguer who used to overwhelm hitters. There is no doubt that Tanaka has reached a turning point as a pitcher. However, I think he is still searching for how he should change his model.

Rakuten is in fierce competition with Lotte and SoftBank for the CS Series.

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but there have been many cases where Rakuten’s momentum has been halted by a game in which Tanaka has started. Kazuhisa Ishii, who made an impassioned plea for Tanaka to return to Japanese baseball by inviting him to play in Tohoku, must be hoping that he will somehow make a comeback.

However, if he wants to advance to the CS or the Japan Series, there is a possibility that Ishii will make a tough decision. He would remove Tanaka from the starting rotation. For Tanaka, it may be a very difficult future.

Ma, once Japan’s absolute ace, is now in his mid-30s and seems to be at a crossroads as a pitcher.