MASAHIRO TANAKA: THE GOLDEN CHILD

Masahiro Tanaka has really drawn a lot of excitement this Spring Training, hasn’t he?  

In his 4 starts with the Yanks, Tanaka has a 3.00 ERA with 16 strikeouts, 3 walks in 15 innings. Each start has been impressive, and it’s giving Yankeeland something to feel good about.

Brendan Kuty of the Star Ledger reported Tanaka is the Yanks 4th starter… many expected it, us at BYB included.  His debut will be April 4^th against the Toronto Blue Jays.   So far Tanaka has been as good as advertised.  He’s handled himself well without getting caught up in the media spotlight and that’s good, considering there is always a heavy media presence in Tampa around this time of year.  

When asked about how he felt about getting ready for his first regular season start, Tanaka said through his translator Shingo Horie. “Oh, it’s nothing too special.  I’m just going to prepare for that day.  Maybe it’s that I’m not thinking too much about it.  But right now I’m not overly excited about it.  As we get closer to game day,  I’m sure that excitement will come along.”

You know what? I like that approach. He’s taking it day to day. That’s a sign of a professional.

Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News reported of Tanaka’s new adjustment of pitching once every 5 days as opposed to 6 days when he played in Japan. Check out what Tanaka said:  “Once the season starts, it’s every 5th day. So I’m making adjustments to that.  I just look at it if there’s an extra day off.”  

In that same piece, it states that Tanaka will ask if he could be allowed to throw more between starts in case he wants to work on something specific. 

Now, I’m not sure how that will be handled by management, since they want to play things out carefully with Tanaka. I get that he is showing good work ethic and wants to do everything he can to help the team win.  But, we know how the Yankees play cautiously with their pitchers and that’s nothing new, so don’t be surprised if we see him on a short leash early on as they figure him out. They want the maximum return on their investment and they will treat him carefully, trust me.

With Tanaka finally booked for his major league debut on April 4th, many will tune in to witness what he will bring to the Yankees at this biggest stage.  For Yankees fans, we got a glimpse, and we hope that it becomes magnified when the games count.  Masahiro Tanaka looks ready to deliver. If you’re like me, I feel confident, but I have my fingers and toes crossed too.   

Ultimately though, I’m optimistic that we got ourselves a winner here.

Prove us right, Tanaka. 

 
Rudy Laurens
BYB Writer
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