WHY THE YANKEES? WELL...

At a press conference yesterday, Masahiro Tanaka told everyone why he chose the Yankees...

"They gave me the highest evaluation and are a world-famous team.” 

Fame was important. The money clearly was important, but winning is the other thing and the Yankees, despite them not making the playoffs in 2013, have a good winning record.

The Associated press also wrote:  "Tanaka said he was 'relieved' the deal was done and looked forward to standing on the mound at Yankee Stadium...  Asked to deliver a message to Yankee fans in English, Tanaka said he plans to let his performance on the field do the talking. 'I don't speak English so I'll just have to win the trust and confidence of the fans with my performance on the field,' the 25-year-old right-hander said."

So, for all of you that follow Tanaka on Twitter, you'll need to use Google translate to understand what he's saying, unless of course you understand Japanese.

I like this guys smile. I like his determination and his wanting to be a New York Yankee. It's gonna be fun.

Welcome to the Bronx, Masahiro Tanaka... and I guess Hideki Matsui didn't even have to take him to dinner...

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