Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2007
2007 Tanaka was named to the Eagles'
ichigun (Japanese equivalent of "major league") roster during Spring training of his
rookie year, and made his professional debut on March 29, , against the
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as the starting pitcher, but gave up six runs on six hits and a walk in 1 innings. Though he was not charged with a
loss, as the Eagles made a furious comeback to tie the game up in the fourth, he was seen sitting in the
dugout in tears after being taken out of the game. On April 18, in a
home game against the Hawks, he held the team to two runs and struck out 13 in a
complete game win, the first win of his professional career. He became the first pitcher since
Yu Darvish to throw a complete-game shutout as a rookie out of high school on June 13 in an interleague game against the
Chunichi Dragons. He also became the first pitcher since
Daisuke Matsuzaka in 1999 to be voted the starter of the NPB
All-Star Game (representing the
Pacific League) as a rookie out of high school, starting in Game 2 on July 22 and clocking a personal-high (though he gave up six runs in two innings in that start). On July 10, Tanaka recorded his 100th strikeout of the
season in just 96 innings, tying the record for the fastest to reach 100 career strikeouts (in innings) held by former
Hanshin Tigers pitcher
Yutaka Enatsu. He became the first pitcher to record double-digit wins in Eagles
franchise history (and the first to do so as a rookie out of high school in Japanese professional baseball since Matsuzaka) in a win against the
Saitama Seibu Lions on August 31. Tanaka finished the year with an 11–7
record and a 3.82 ERA, faring particularly well against the Hawks (5–0 in six starts). His 196 strikeouts were the second-most by any pitcher in either league (Pacific or
Central) and the fourth-most as a rookie out of high school in Japanese professional baseball history. He was named the Pacific League
Most Valuable Rookie, the first player out of high school to win the award since Matsuzaka.
2008 In , Tanaka was penciled into the front end of the Eagles' starting rotation for the second straight season. He earned his first career win at
Sapporo Dome, located in his former home of Hokkaido, in a win against the Fighters on May 4, drawing cheers from the crowd despite pitching for the away team. He came on in relief for the first time in his career in an interleague game against the
Hiroshima Carp on June 22, recording his first career
save. Tanaka was able to make only 24 starts (as opposed to 28 in his rookie season), missing playing time because of both a brief rehab stint in the
minors due to inflammation in his shoulder and his participation in the
2008 Beijing Olympics as a member of the Japanese national team. He entered the last game of the regular season against the
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks with nine wins, looking to both earn his tenth win of the season and prevent the Eagles from finishing in last place. While he held the Hawks to no runs over nine innings, Hawks starter
Toshiya Sugiuchi equaled his performance and Tanaka fell short of his goal of reaching double-digit wins. The Eagles eventually won in walk-off fashion in the twelfth inning, finishing one game ahead of the Hawks for fifth place in the regular season standings.
2009 Tanaka got off to an utterly dominant start to the season, pitching a four-hit complete-game shutout against the Hawks in his first start on April 7, a one-run complete game win against the
Chiba Lotte Marines on April 14 (his first career win against the Marines, the only other Pacific League team he had yet to record a win against), a three-hit complete-game shutout against the Marines on April 22, and an 11-strikeout, one-run complete game win against the Fighters on April 29. The fourth win marked the 1500th of Eagles
manager Katsuya Nomura's career and made Tanaka the first pitcher to start the season with four consecutive complete game wins since
Satoru Komiyama (then with the Marines) and
Shigetoshi Hasegawa (
Orix BlueWave) both accomplished the feat in 1993. However, though he went 4–0 with a 0.50 ERA for the month of April, striking out 37 and allowing just 24
baserunners in 36 innings and winning Pacific League monthly
Most Valuable Player honors for the first time in his career, he was removed from the active roster on April 30 with a minor shoulder
strain as a result of
fatigue. He returned to the team on May 13, pitching seven innings of three run-ball against the Fighters for his fifth straight win to start the season.
2013 On September 13, 2013, Tanaka set a new NPB record with his 21st consecutive win in the 2013 season in a 6–2
complete game victory over the Orix Buffaloes at home in
Sendai at
Kleenex Stadium. This victory was Tanaka's 25th consecutive win, including his final four starts in 2012. It also eclipsed the longest consecutive winning streak for MLB pitchers, set at 24 by
Carl Hubbell in the
1936 and
1937 seasons. On September 26, 2013, Tanaka relieved to
close the last inning. With a one run lead, he sealed the victory and the Eagles' first Pacific League title. It was his first appearance as a closer in the 2013 season. He ended the regular season with a 24–0 record and 1.27 ERA, tops in both leagues. He also became the second post-war starting pitcher with an undefeated season with minimum innings required for an ERA title since
Shigekuni Mashiba. Tanaka went on to win his second Sawamura Award as the Golden Eagles competed for their first Japan Series title. Taking postseason games into account, his 2013 record was 30–1. The lone loss came in Game 6 of the
2013 Japan Series, a 160-pitch complete game, and he avenged that loss as he picked up the save in the decisive Game 7.
New York Yankees Tanaka was repeatedly scouted by MLB representatives during the 2013 season. Through the revised
posting system, Rakuten posted Tanaka to MLB during the 2013–14 offseason at a fee of $20 million. On December 26, 2013, all 30 MLB teams were notified that the 30-day period to sign the 25-year-old right-hander began at 8 a.m. EST. Clubs had until 5 p.m. EST on January 24, 2014, to reach an agreement with Tanaka, who was represented by agent
Casey Close. During the month-long period following Tanaka's posting, teams reported to be serious suitors included the
New York Yankees,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Chicago Cubs,
Chicago White Sox,
Arizona Diamondbacks, and
Houston Astros. On January 22, 2014, Tanaka signed a seven-year contract worth $155 million with the Yankees. The contract contained an opt-out clause after the fourth year and a full no-
trade clause.
2014 Tanaka made his Major League debut on April 4, 2014, against the
Toronto Blue Jays and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, ex-Yankee
Melky Cabrera. Tanaka would receive his first MLB win in the game, pitching seven innings with eight strikeouts in the Yankees 7–3 win against the Blue Jays. Tanaka made his first Yankees home start on April 9, against the
Baltimore Orioles where he struck out ten batters in seven innings but received a no-decision as the Yankees lost the game 5–4. During an interleague game against the New York Mets on May 14, Tanaka recorded his first major league hit off of
José Valverde and pitched his first complete game in the majors as the Yankees shut out the Mets 4–0. Tanaka began his American career with a 6–0 record before he received his first loss in MLB on May 20, as the Yankees lost to the Chicago Cubs 6–1; it was his first loss in any professional baseball league since August 19, 2012. In June, Tanaka recorded his 100th strikeout of the season in a complete game against the
Seattle Mariners; his bid for a shutout was ended when former Yankee
Robinson Canó hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning. Tanaka began the year with an 11–1 record and a 1.99 ERA in his first 14 starts while striking out 113 batters in 99 innings. He became the first Yankees rookie to win 12 games by the All-Star break and was selected to the
Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a reserve for the
American League. He and teammate
Dellin Betances were the first Yankees rookie pitchers to earn an All-Star Game nod since
Spec Shea in 1947. Following a loss to the
Cleveland Indians on July 8, 2014, in which he gave up five runs in innings, Tanaka began to experience discomfort in his right arm. The next day, Tanaka was placed on the
disabled list due to right elbow inflammation. He had compiled a 12–4 record with a 2.51 ERA in 18 starts and was forced to withdraw from the All-Star Game as a result of the injury. An MRI revealed that his elbow had a partially torn UCL. At the behest of several doctors, Tanaka received a PRP shot from Yankees' head team physician
Dr. Christopher Ahmad and rested his elbow for 6 weeks instead of having
Tommy John surgery to repair his UCL. Tanaka returned on September 21 against the Blue Jays, receiving his 13th win of the season in the Yankees' 5–2 victory over the Blue Jays. He would only pitch one more time during the 2014 season, a loss to the
Boston Red Sox in which he gave up seven runs (five earned) in innings. In the 20 starts of his first major league season in 2014, Tanaka posted a 2.77 ERA with 141 strikeouts in innings and a 13–5 record. After his 2014 season, there was much speculation by sports media and fans that Tanaka should have undergone surgery rather than follow his doctors' suggestions and rehab the injury. This was mostly due to the belief that he would need to get the surgery despite the rehab program.
2015 Tanaka was chosen by
Joe Girardi to be the Opening Day starter for the Yankees. He made the Opening Day start on April 6, 2015, against the Blue Jays, surrendering five runs in the third inning, including a home run by
Edwin Encarnación, as the Yankees lost. On April 28, Tanaka was placed on the disabled list with forearm and wrist soreness; he had gone 2–1 with a 3.22 ERA in four starts. The injury combined with his poor first outing led many in the sports media to speculate that Tanaka should undergo
Tommy John surgery against the wishes of his doctors. After missing a month, he returned on June 3 against the
Seattle Mariners, where he pitched seven innings with nine strikeouts as the Yankees won 3–1. In a June 27 start against the Houston Astros, Tanaka gave up a career-high six earned runs. Tanaka was diagnosed with a Grade 1
hamstring strain on September 20, sustaining the injury during an interleague game against the
New York Mets when running to first base after a bunt attempt. He would miss his next start. Tanaka's season ended with a 3–0 loss to the
Houston Astros in the
American League Wild Card game, in which he pitched five innings and allowed two earned runs. In 24 starts, Tanaka went 12–7 with a 3.51 ERA in 154 innings, posting a
WHIP of only 0.994, the lowest amongst all American League starters with at least 150 innings pitched. One area of struggle for Tanaka in 2015 was the home run: he gave up 25 of them.
2016 Tanaka was named the Yankees' Opening Day starter in 2016 for the second consecutive season. He received a no-decision against the
Houston Astros, giving up two runs in innings. On April 17, Tanaka faced his former Rakuten teammate
Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners for the first time in the United States, the first time in MLB history that two former Japanese teammates pitched against each other. Tanaka earned the win, allowing two earned runs in seven innings and striking out six, while Iwakuma took the loss. In his first eight starts, Tanaka compiled a 1–0 record, receiving seven no-decisions, including eight shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles on May 5. Tanaka tied his career high by giving up six earned runs in six innings in a June 29 start against the
Texas Rangers. On July 10, Tanaka pitched his shortest start of the season, lasting only innings in a no-decision against the Cleveland Indians. Tanaka started in the
Subway Series for the third straight season, losing to the Mets on August 2 by giving up seven runs (six earned) in innings. It would be his final loss of 2016, as Tanaka would finish the season strong and end the year by winning seven consecutive decisions in his last ten starts. Tanaka faced Iwakuma again on August 24, throwing seven shutout innings as Tanaka received the win and Iwakuma received the loss again in their second meeting. On September 10, Tanaka struck out a season-high 10 batters in innings against the
Tampa Bay Rays. In his next start, Tanaka pitched seven innings of one-run baseball against the
Boston Red Sox, lowering his ERA to 2.97, the best in the American League. After a win against the Rays on September 21 in which he allowed four home runs, Tanaka was diagnosed with a flexor mass strain and was shut down for five days. After the strain healed, it was announced that Tanaka would not pitch in his final scheduled start of the season as the Yankees were already eliminated from postseason contention and the team felt it was not necessary to risk Tanaka's health in a meaningless game. In the second half of 2016, Tanaka pitched to an 8–2 record and a 2.83 ERA in 13 games, throwing innings and striking out 72.
2017 On February 14, 2017, Girardi named Tanaka the Opening Day starter for the third season in a row. Tanaka was dominant in
Spring Training, allowing only one earned run in innings for a 0.38 ERA. Making the Opening Day start against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 2, Tanaka lasted only innings, allowing a career-high seven earned runs as the Yankees lost by a score of 7–3. Tanaka's season started slowly until pitching a complete-game shutout against the Red Sox on April 27, the second of his career. Tanaka's shutout was notable in that he only threw 97 pitches, pitching what is colloquially referred to as a "Maddux" (a complete-game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches), the first by any pitcher in the 2017 season. Tanaka allowed more than three earned runs only once in the six starts after his Opening Day debacle, lowering his ERA to 4.36 by May 8. Tanaka was scheduled to start in Game 2 of the May 14 doubleheader against the
Houston Astros, notable for being the same game in which
Derek Jeter would have his number retired in a pregame ceremony. Tanaka would give up a career-high eight earned runs in innings, allowing four home runs. Critics blasted Tanaka for "ruining" what was supposed to be a special night for Jeter and the Yankees. In his next start, he allowed six runs in three innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up three home runs in the process. Tanaka appeared to improve in a May 25 start against the
Oakland Athletics, as he struck out a career-high 13 batters. However, he would allow seven runs to the
Baltimore Orioles and five runs to the
Boston Red Sox in his next two starts, both losses, leaving his record at 5–7 and his ERA at 6.55 by June 6. Baseball analysts attempted to uncover the root cause of Tanaka's sudden struggles, which were surprising given his excellent 2016 and his reputation as the Yankees' ace since 2014. Critics pointed to a "flat" slider, missing badly on several pitches and getting buried in favorable hitters' counts. Some raised concerns that he was playing injured and needed Tommy John surgery; however, the Yankees (and Tanaka himself) insisted that Tanaka was at full health. Against the Rays on July 28, Tanaka set a new career-high by striking out 14 batters. Tanaka took a perfect game into the sixth inning and allowed only one run on two hits in eight innings pitched. On August 12, Tanaka was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to right shoulder inflammation. He missed only one start. On August 27, Tanaka earned his tenth win of the season against the Seattle Mariners, making him the first Japanese pitcher in MLB history to have double-digit wins in all of his first four seasons. On September 29 against the Blue Jays, his final start of the regular season, Tanaka again set a new career-high by striking out 15 batters, tied with
Stephen Strasburg for the most single-game strikeouts in 2017. In 30 starts of 2017, he finished the year with a 13–12 record, a 4.74 ERA, 194 strikeouts, and 35 home runs allowed in innings pitched. In the postseason, Tanaka earned the win in Game 3 of the
2017 American League Division Series against the Indians after throwing seven shutout innings. He started Game 1 of the
2017 American League Championship Series against
Dallas Keuchel and the Astros in a rematch of the 2015 AL Wild Card Game, taking the loss after allowing two runs in six innings. However, he faced Keuchel again in Game 5, this time earning the win as he pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight to help the Yankees take a 3–2 series lead. On November 3, Tanaka announced that he would not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, instead staying with the Yankees for the remaining three years and $67 million left on his original deal.
2018 Tanaka's first start of 2018 went smoothly as he retired 13 batters in a row, struck out eight, and allowed one run, which was a solo homer by
Randal Grichuk in 6+ innings as the Yankees won 4–2. While playing at
Citi Field against the Mets on June 8, Tanaka scored his first career run after a sacrifice fly from
Aaron Judge, but shortly after, he left the game after his hamstrings grew stiff. The next day, on June 9, Tanaka wound up on the 10-day disabled list due to mild strains in both hamstrings. In a short time after his return from the DL, he pitched a complete-game shutout in a 4–0 win over the Rays.
2019 Due to
Luis Severino's rotator cuff injury, the Yankees tapped Tanaka for his fourth Opening Day start on March 28, 2019. The start gave him the record for most Opening Day starts by a Japanese pitcher with four, passing
Hideo Nomo. Tanaka would pitch innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 runs while striking out 5 in the Yankees 7–2 win vs the Orioles. This was Tanaka's first opening day victory. On 17 June Tanaka threw a complete game two-hit shutout and made 10 strikeouts in the Yankees’ 3–0 victory against Rays on Monday evening at Yankee Stadium. On June 29, against the Red Sox at
London Stadium, Tanaka allowed 6 runs in the first inning, and was lifted after 2 outs. It was the first time in his career that he could not complete an inning while starting, but nevertheless, the Yankees won 17–13. On July 6, Tanaka was named to the
2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as an injury replacement for
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher
Marcus Stroman. July 25 against the Red Sox turned out to be Tanaka's worst outing in professional baseball, as he allowed 7 runs in the first inning and 5 more in the third inning, bringing his total to 12 runs, the most he allowed in a single start, while only retiring 10 hitters (4 strikeouts). It was also the most earned runs allowed by a Yankees pitcher since 1923. Tanaka allowed one run over five innings in the
2019 ALDS. In Game 1 of the
2019 ALCS, Tanaka allowed one hit over six innings against the Astros. On October 24, Tanaka underwent right elbow surgery to remove bone spurs.
2020 On July 4, 2020, in a Yankees simulated game, Tanaka was struck in the head by a line drive off of the bat of
Giancarlo Stanton and suffered a mild concussion. Despite this, Tanaka was able to make his first start on August 1 against the Red Sox, where he went innings, giving up two runs, and striking out 3. The Yankees won 5–2. Tanaka finished the year with a 3–3 record and 3.56 ERA in 10 appearances.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (second stint) After the 2020 season, Tanaka decided to leave the MLB to return to Japan. Tanaka has said that he decided to return to Japan partly due to anti-Asian racism in the United States during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, he feared for the safety of his wife and children. He said his child who was in kindergarten at the time faced a negative incident, but did not disclose specific details to the media. In March 2021, months after Tanaka had already returned to Japan, Yankees General Manager
Brian Cashman commented: "(It is) heartbreaking to hear any of these stories that come out. We need to, as a society, do a better job to make sure that (racism) is unwelcomed in any walk of life." His uniform number is 18. On January 7, 2023, Tanaka re-signed with Rakuten on a one-year contract. In 24 games, he posted a 7–11 record and 4.91 ERA with 81 strikeouts in innings. Following the season, on October 31, Tanaka underwent a right-elbow cleanup surgery. Tanaka made one appearance for Rakuten in 2024, taking the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work. On November 24, 2024, Tanaka and the Eagles parted ways.
Yomiuri Giants On December 15, 2024, Tanaka signed with the
Yomiuri Giants of
Nippon Professional Baseball. On September 30, 2025, he achieved his third win of the season and his 200th career win in the US and Japan combined. ==International career==