Masahiro Tanaka says the timing was right to return to Japan with the Eagles

The timing was right for Masahiro Tanaka.

In 2013, the Tohoku Rakuten team led the Golden Eagles to a Japan Series title that was more than just a baseball game in a region still reeling two years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that followed it in March 2011.

With the tenth anniversary of that tragedy approaching and Tanaka searching for a new team after seven seasons of Major League Soccer, it seemed the perfect time to return home to Tohoku and the Eagles.

“Ten years after the earthquake, I was in a position to be a freelance agent for the first time and be able to pick a team,” Tanaka said. “I think number 10 is a good timing for me.”

Tanaka is back at NPB and Rakuten with an introductory press conference on Saturday at a Tokyo hotel. He arrived in a blue jumpsuit and later wrapped things up in white Eagles’ costume # 18, the flash of boyish charm and the easy-going smile that helped him love his NPB fans in the first place while he laughed during a photo shoot.

Tanaka’s return, celebrated in Tohoku and the big news in Japan in general, may be short-lived. He has a two-year contract, but can also review his options after this season.

He made it clear that he didn’t have a single foot outside the door.

“I really want to win the title,” said Tanaka. “I don’t think I can achieve success in this world with half-hearted feelings, so I really want to fight with all I have.”

Tanaka returned to Rakuten after seven seasons with the New York Yankees, aged 78-46 with 3.74 ERAs in 174 appearances. It was also 5-4 with 3.33 ERs in 10 Playoff starts. This season was the last year of a $ 155 million contract signed with the club in 2014.

“When I became a free agent, I honestly wanted to sign another contract with the Yankees and play there,” said Tanaka. “Then when I heard different things, I thought I might have to go a different path and think different things.”

Playing in a place where he can be comfortable was a major factor in his research.

“For me, No. 1 was the type of baseball you wanted to play, and what kind of environment you wanted to be in,” Tanaka said.

A return to NPB gives Tanaka a chance to play for Japan in the postponed Tokyo Olympics this summer. Had matches last year been as planned – before being derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic – Tanaka would not have been able to participate, as MLB was not planning to send players to Tokyo.

“There is a chance if I am selected,” Tanaka said. “There is no reason to say no. I want to play. The last time I played was in the Beijing Olympics and it was not a good result. Since baseball will disappear from the Olympic competition and this will be held in my home country, I want to win a gold medal.”

Tanaka was 99-35 with 2.30 eras in 175 games for Rakuten from 2007 to 2013. His next win would make him the first to score 100 wins with the club. He finished what is now his first stint with the team by going 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA and 183 knockout while leading the Eagles to their first ever tagline in 2013. He later scored the final in Game 7 of the Japan Series.

Kazuhisa Ishii, director of Rakuten, laughs during Masahiro Tanaka’s opening press conference on Saturday. | Kazuhisa Ishii

“He is an outstanding player,” said Kazuhisa Ishii, coach of Eagles and General Motors.

Tanaka returns to the league as he will have to deal with a dynasty in Fukuoka and a host of unfamiliar players.

He said, “I went seven years ago and I know a lot of good hitters have come during that time.” “I know there are a lot of good players.”

Tanaka will play as a coach for the first time for Ishii, a former MLB player.

“He came down in America too, so he was in my position,” Tanaka said, adding that he would ask Ishii for advice.

Even in a league where a lot has changed, Tanaka will cut a familiar figure on the hill at number 18 who has been left vacant since his departure for North America in 2013.

“I think the Tohoku fans have been waiting for this,” said owner Hiroshi Mikitani.

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