KURODA CAN HELP TANAKA BECOME A TRUE YANKEE

Imagine being 25-years-old, moving to a new country and playing for the most celebrated franchise in sports.  It must be unnerving.  It must be scary.  But you wouldn’t know it based on the performance and presence of Masahiro Tanaka in his first full week of spring training.  The common word being bounced around the media is “impressive.”  Amidst the suffocating media stalking the young pitching prospect is experiencing, Tanaka has been nothing short of polished and focused.  But how is he doing it?  I mean, how does he keep it together?  Much like anyone else who has had to face a new experience, he has a mentor, and it appears to be fellow countryman, Hiroki Kuroda.

“In full spring training uniform, the two Japanese pitchers strode in for their first official spring training workout of the season exchanging smiles and laughs. They walked across the diamond to left field to play catch with each other. The media horde followed along the warning track in foul territory, testing the boundaries the Yankees public relations staff had instituted to control the herd, and fans congregated behind a fence for a glimpse,” according to the Star Ledger this week.  Even though Kuroda was eight years older when he signed with the Dodgers from Japan in 2008, he knows what it is like to leave his homeland for a big city franchise.  But this time, it’s New York, it’s the Yankees and the spotlight is stronger, hotter and more intense.

“Kuroda was a pitcher with a track record in Japan when he migrated to the major leagues. The late career change made pitching on four days’ rest, as opposed to once a week, the most difficult adjustment. He does not know what Tanaka’s hardest challenge will be. That, he said, depends on the person. But the veteran’s first piece of advice for Tanaka was simple: Be himself,” stated the same article.  Sound and simple advice from a veteran pitcher who has not only made his mark in Japan but has been an ace in LA and an anchor here is New York. 

Tanaka has had the opportunity to pitch side by side in the bullpen with Yankee ace CC Sabathia, Kuroda and Ivan Nova this week.  Nova, who is fighting for a spot in the rotation, can be a peer for Tanaka, being close in age to the newest Yankee phenom.  Simply put, the pitching staff needs to bond and it has to start with Kuroda.  “I think that’s advantageous,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I just think there’s probably a natural bond there because of where they’re from, and it’s good for us.”  

Tanaka, who has six powerful pitches, will also need to get passed the language barrier and Yankee catchers will have to adjust.  Nonverbal communication will have to be on point- that’s what we need to ensure that Tanaka and his catchers, Brian McCann and potentially Francisco Cervelli, get right.  It is another key part of Tanaka’s transition to the Yankees and frankly American baseball.

So with Kuroda holding down the role of mentor, Ivan Nova as peer, CC Sabathia as ace, and the catchers adjusting non-verbally, we can help Tanaka adjust.  Let’s hope that he can take the media pressure, but not just any media pressure, New York style media pressure- the kind you get when you are a Yankee.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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