Tanaka Becomes 4th Pitcher to Hit 200 Wins in Japan, U.S. Career

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has hit combined 200 career wins in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) and U.S. Major League Baseball, becoming the fourth Japanese professional baseball player to achieve this feat. With this achievement, the 36-year-old right-hander joined the likes of Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish. Tanaka of the Yomiuri Giants, a team of the NPB’s Central League, earned the 200th career victory, his third win of the season, in Tuesday’s game against the Chunichi Dragons at Tokyo Dome, giving up only two runs in six innings. “I’m truly delighted,” Tanaka said on his 200th combined win. “I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in my baseball career,” the Giants starter said. “It took me a long time to get here, but I’m happy because I had wanted to win at Tokyo Dome, the Giants’ home ground, as soon as possible and to become a hero since I joined the team,” Tanaka said, adding, “I pitched in today’s game with a determination that I would leave the mound after trying my best and doing everything I can.” Tanaka picked up the first and second wins of the season in games at rival teams’ home stadiums. After graduating from Komazawa University Tomakomai High School in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, Tanaka started his professional career at the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the NPB’s Pacific League in 2007. He ended the 2013 regular season with a 24-0 record, helping the team clinch its first Pacific League and Japan Series titles. In 2014, he moved to the United States and began to play for the New York Yankees. He accumulated 78 wins in the seven seasons until 2020 at the MLB club. Tanaka returned to the Eagles in 2021 and signed with the Giants after the end of the 2024 season. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]