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3h ago

Masahiro Tanaka Reaches 200 Combined Japan–MLB Wins With Giants Victory at Tokyo Dome

The 36-year-old right-hander joins a rare club following a 19-year, two-league career shaped by a post-surgery return.

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Overview

  • Tanaka worked six innings on 85 pitches, allowing four hits and two runs, to earn his third win of the season and his first Tokyo Dome victory since joining Yomiuri.
  • The Giants beat the Dragons 4–2, and Martinez closed it out for his 46th save, drawing level with Matsuyama for the league lead.
  • The milestone lifts Tanaka to 200 wins combined between NPB and MLB, comprised of 122 in Japan and 78 with the Yankees, making him the fourth Japanese pitcher to reach the mark after Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish.
  • Manager Shinnosuke Abe paired Tanaka with catcher Seiji Kobayashi for their first top-team battery and called on the closer in the eighth for a multi-inning finish to secure the result.
  • Tanaka said he felt overwhelmed and that the achievement would sink in later, after spending weeks stuck on 199 wins and receiving a celebratory bouquet from longtime peer Hayato Sakamoto.