Ex-Yankee Tanaka Signs With Yomiuri Giants; Veteran Player Says He Wants to ‘Prove’ He Can Still Play

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:27 JST, December 25, 2024

Veteran player and former New York Yankee Masahiro Tanaka, who was released by the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, has signed with the Yomiuri Giants.

“It’s a great honor to be able to wear the Yomiuri Giants uniform. I’ve been a fan since I was a child.” Tanaka said at a press conference on Wednesday in Tokyo after signing with the team. “I know competition will be tough, but I want to prove that I can still do it.”

He will wear No. 11.

Tanaka told Rakuten of his intention to leave the team after the club offered him an amount that exceeded the limit of a 40% reduction for contracts over ¥100 million, allowing him to negotiate with other teams.

“I want to play for a team where I can feel a sense of accomplishment and where people have high expectations of me,” Tanaka previously said.

Knowing he was looking to join a new team, Yomiuri looked into Tanaka, who has collected 197 wins in both Japan and in the MLB.

Tanaka joined Rakuten in 2007 after graduating from Komadai Tomakomai High School in Hokkaido. In 2013, the right-hander logged a record 24 consecutive wins from the start of the season, leading the club to clinch its first Pacific League pennant. He also helped Rakuten win the Japan Series that year.

Tanaka joined the Yankees in 2014 and collected 78 wins in seven seasons before returning to Rakuten in 2021.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Tanaka underwent surgery on his right elbow and only pitched once during the season.