Masahiro Tanaka still two giant steps away from Meikyukai
The fans were hoping to see a Kyojin victory and witness Masahiro Tanaka take a step toward a major milestone. They went home disappointed on both counts after the Chunichi Dragons erased a three-run deficit in the fifth inning and went on to win 4-3.
The result left Tanaka stuck on 198 career victories between NPB and MLB. His pursuit of 200 has stalled this season.
'I know that it's not easy,' Tanaka said. 'I've been doing this a long time. I understand that it's hard. I have to pitch in a way that helps the team win.'
The prize awaiting Tanaka, 36, is a spot in the Meikyukai (Golden Players Club), a secondary Japanese Hall of Fame for batters who accumulate 2,000 hits or pitchers who reach 200 wins or 250 saves. Entry is open to players born after the beginning of the Showa Era who began their careers in Japan.
Before Tanaka can earn win No. 200, however, he needs to get to 199 — and that has not been easy. His 198th career win came in April and was followed by a loss, a no-decision, a nearly 100-day stint off the top team and another start where he did not factor into the decision.
He ended up with another no-decision against the Dragons after allowing three unearned runs over five innings. Tanaka struck out five and walked one. All three runs came shortly after an error by second baseman Makoto Kadowaki in the fifth.
Kadowaki apologized after the inning, but Tanaka later expressed regret that he could not help his fielders by keeping Chunichi off the scoreboard.
'There was some great defense that helped me throughout today's game,' Tanaka said. 'So after we allowed the first run, I really wanted to cover for (the mistake) and hold down (the Dragons).
'I thought we should have been able to keep the lead. But they caught up, and I think that was a burden for the next pitcher.'
While a spot in the Meikyukai will not define the career of a pitcher who was one of the best ever during his first run in Japan before heading to MLB, it is a major milestone. Only 24 pitchers have reached 200 wins in NPB. Just three — Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish — have 200 between NPB and MLB.
Tanaka, with 120 NPB wins for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and the Giants, and 78 for the New York Yankees in MLB, is on the doorstep.
When he returned from MLB to join the Eagles before the 2021 season, he seemed destined to pick up the milestone victory with the only NPB club he had played for at the time.
Tanaka, though, was 20-33 with a 3.73 ERA from 2021 to 2024 and joined the Giants last offseason after a surprising split with the Eagles.
His 2025 campaign has been a series of starts and stops. He was making just his fifth appearance of the year on Wednesday. It was also the first time he made consecutive turns in the rotation, having been removed from the roster following his first three outings.
He had a solid performance against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows last week, allowing two runs — one earned — over 5⅔ innings.
Tanaka got off to another good start against the Dragons. He pitched a scoreless first inning and watched as Yoshihiro Maru hit a leadoff home run to start a three-run frame for the Giants in the bottom half.
Tanaka threw three more scoreless innings before everything fell apart in the fifth.
Chunichi's Yuki Okabayashi hit a one-out single, and the next batter, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, hit a grounder to second. Kadowaki fielded the ball and threw to second to try to start a double play. He threw the ball away, however, allowing Okabayashi to score and Yamamoto to reach second.
Seiji Uebayashi made the score 3-2 with a double, and Jason Vosler tied it with an RBI single later in the inning.
Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe made the pitching change before the start of the sixth. The Dragons then rubbed salt in the wound when Michael Chavis led off the inning with a tiebreaking home run.
The Giants have 38 games remaining in the regular season, and it's unknown how many more chances Tanaka will have to finally get over the hump and get a shot at his milestone victory. After his missed opportunity on Wednesday, the wait could stretch into the 2026 season.
'It wasn't bad,' Tanaka said of his latest performance. 'But I feel like there is a lot of work to do to iron out the smaller details. I want to make adjustments so that I can pitch well.'
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