Rookie Sensation Tanaka Loses First Time this Season

Photo Credit: MLB.com

By Francisco Romero

Someone, somewhere once said: “baseball makes you humble,” indeed it does and Tuesday night it was rookie sensation Masahiro Tanaka’s turn to feel a bit humility.

Tanaka not only lost his first major league baseball game, after starting the season 6-0, but he lost for the first time since 2012.

Last season Tanaka finished with a record of 24-0 in Japan.

Tanaka and the Yankees lost to the Cubs 6-1 at Wrigley Field. The rookie’s record stands now at 6-1, 2.39 ERA.

“I’m a little bit disappointed, because I think a lot of the fans were looking for me to keep on winning,” Tanaka said to mlb.com through an interpreter. “Next time out, I’ll try to get a win again and try to keep it going again.”

42 starts went by before Tanaka’s first defeat. His last regular season loss came on August 19, 2012.

There is a bit of an irony in Tanaka’s defeat since the Cubs own the worst record in baseball (16-27).

During the offseason, the Japanese pitcher signed a record deal to play for the Yankees, a seven-year, $155 million deal.

Tanka left the game after pitching 6.0 innings, allowing 4 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), walking 1 and striking out 8. Jason Hammels (5-2, 2.91) got the win for the Cubs after pitching 5.2 innings.

For the Cubs Mike Olt finished the game with 3 RBI’s. Luis Valbuena finished the game with three hits, two doubles.

It was the second time that Tanaka has faced the Cubs this season; as a matter of fact the Cubs are the first team that Tanaka has faced twice in his short major league career so far.

Tanka mentioned that he was a bit off on all his pitches Tuesday Night.