Trivia quiz & fun facts that reveal an unexpected side of Masahiro Tanaka

rain-bringer; a man who seems to bring rain wherever he goes

In 2007, when pitcher Masahiro Tanaka joined the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, he was frequently labeled a “rain man” because he kept encountering rain at key moments—right from shortly after joining, during spring training camp and exhibition games. Since then, this ‘rain man’ legend has continued to be brought up as a running joke by himself and those around him whenever the occasion arises.

Throw two balls at the same time

After joining the Yomiuri Giants, Masahiro Tanaka drew attention for this unusual training method under the guidance of roving pitching coach Kubo. The goal is to instill a more vertical, over-the-top arm path by throwing two balls at the same time. With a vertical swing, the balls travel straight while maintaining their vertical alignment; with a horizontal swing, they split left and right. This makes the difference easy to see and allows him to adjust his form even when a coach isn’t present.

catcher

Masahiro Tanaka is strongly associated with being a pitcher, but he actually played as a catcher until his first year of high school. Thanks to his naturally strong arm, he switched to pitching. He reportedly showed remarkable potential, quickly learning to throw breaking balls and more.

Yuki Saito

In the 2006 summer Koshien final, Masahiro Tanaka and Waseda Jitsugyo’s Yuki Saito staged a classic showdown. Their fierce duel is remembered as one of the Heisei era’s great matchups. Since neither yielded an inch through 15 innings of extra play and no winner was decided, the game ended in a tie and a rematch was held.

19

During his time with the New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka wore number 19. Since he wore number 18 in Japan, many people might find this surprising. It’s said that when he joined the team, number 18—the ace number—was already being worn by pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, so he chose a number close to it, 19.

7 years

In 2014, Masahiro Tanaka signed a seven-year, $155 million contract with the New York Yankees, which was the longest and most lucrative deal for a Japanese player at the time. He declared his strong determination to aim to be the best in the world, further strengthening the trust placed in him by fans and the team.

Komazawa University Tomakomai High School

Masahiro Tanaka hails from Komazawa University Tomakomai High School in Hokkaido and excelled as the team’s ace starting his freshman year. In the summer 2005 Koshien tournament, he led his team to the championship as a sophomore, gaining nationwide recognition under the nickname “Ma-kun.” Furthermore, in the 2006 summer final, he faced Yuki Saito—known as the “Handkerchief Prince”—in a legendary extra-inning rematch, a classic that remains etched in the memories of many baseball fans.