Masahiro Tanaka아톰카지노 (Rakuten) of the Japanese professional baseball team was kicked out early with the fewest innings pitched this season. Due to a large number of runs allowed, the average ERA soared to 5 points and the team suffered 10 losses for two consecutive years.
Tanaka appeared as a starting pitcher in the away game against the Orix Buffaloes held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 18th. In 2⅓ innings, he gave up five runs, allowing seven hits, striking out one, and walking out on three walks. It was the least inning disgrace this season. Rakuten lost 3-6, and Tanaka recorded his 10th loss of the season.
Tanaka allowed five runs in two consecutive games recently, and his season ERA soared to 5.09. He recorded 7 wins (10 losses) this season, and has 197 career wins in the U.S. and Japan. He has not added a win in his last three games.
Tanaka put leadoff hitter Keita Nakagawa on base in the first inning with a ball that hit his body on two strikes. Number 2 Nishino missed the first pitch, and Nakagawa, the runner on first base, succeeded in stealing second base.
He got an out with a ground ball to first base, making it 1 out and 3rd base. They allowed the first run to Tomoya Mori with a mid-month double that hit the center fence. With one out and two on second base, an additional run was prevented with a ground ball to the shortstop and a straight hit to the shortstop.
He continued to allow long hits in the second inning. After one out, Gonzales hit a 151km fastball and hit a double to the right. He then threw a 139 km splitter to Yutaro Sugimoto, then hit a superior double, allowing the second run.
Tanaka then allowed consecutive walks, putting the bases loaded with one out. The first baseman fumbled Nishino’s ground ball, allowing the third run.
With the bases loaded and one out, he threw a 146km fastball on the first pitch against Mori, and the ball Mori hit was a straight out in front of the third baseman. The crisis was overcome as the runner on third base failed to return to base and the runner doubled out.
He was pitched after hitting four consecutive hits with one out in the third inning. He struck out the leadoff hitter on a swing and a miss, but hit a triple-hit-and-run and allowed two more runs.
He was replaced on first and second base with one out and trailing 0-5. The reliever pitcher grounded out the first baseman and the pitcher grounded out, so no runs were allowed.
Tanaka, who played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2020, returned to Rakuten for the 2021 season and recorded 4 wins (9 losses) in the first year and 9 wins (12 losses) last year.