Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was the subject of an offseason “war” between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. Both teams were reportedly considered the main favorites to land the coveted right-hander. In the end, the Bronx Bombers signed Tanaka to a monster deal that raised eyebrows among the industry due to the length, value and the fact that Tanaka hadn’t thrown a single pitch stateside.
However, today the Cubs were able to see first-hand what they will be missing through the foreseeable future. Tanaka started for the Yankees in the first game of a double-header against the Cubbies and was simply magnificent as the Yankees shutout the Cubs by a 3-0 score.
Tanaka pitched eight innings and was simply magnificent. He was efficient with his pitches, clean with his delivery and was downright nasty particularly with his splitter, a pitch that’s still unhittable at the MLB level. Tanaka allowed only two hits, walked one and struck out 10 while getting the win thanks to the support given by the team’s offense.
Not that he needed much though. Carlos Beltran had a solo shot during the first, Brian McCann scored on a sac fly by Dean Anna in the fourth and Brett Gardner added another run on an RBI groundout by Jacoby Ellsbury in the fifth. Those three runs were all the Yanks needed as they came out on top with ease against a Cubs’ side that never got it going against Tanaka.
Luckily for the Cubs, they will have a quick chance to redeem themselves in the second game of the doubleheader later tonight.