TANAKA Masahiro

Japan
Baseball/Softball
1 Nov 1988
32
Male
1.88/6'2''
IZUMI
 
Japan

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
BSB Baseball/Softball Baseball
JPN
Japan
 1 Gold Medal

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium
Baseball Opening Round Group A
#1
DOM
Dominican Rep.
3
JPN
Japan
4
Finished
Yokohama Baseball Stadium
Baseball Opening Round Group A
#5
JPN
Japan
7
MEX
Mexico
4
Finished
Yokohama Baseball Stadium
Baseball Round 2
#10
USA
United States
6
JPN
Japan
7
Finished
Yokohama Baseball Stadium
Baseball Semifinal
#13
KOR
Republic of Korea
2
JPN
Japan
5
Finished
Yokohama Baseball Stadium
Baseball Gold Medal Game
#16
USA
United States
0
JPN
Japan
2
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Olympic Games
RankEventYearLocation
4Baseball2008Beijing, CHN

World Baseball Classic
RankEventYearLocation
1Baseball2009
3Baseball2013
:
Ma-kun, Masa (YouTube channel, 30 Jun 2021; news.yahoo.co.jp, 07 Jul 2020)
:
Athlete
:
Wife Mai Satoda [2012], one son [2016], one daughter [2019]
:
English, Japanese
:
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles [Miyagi, JPN] since 2021
:
Kazuhisa Ishii [club], JPN; Atsunori Inaba [national], JPN
:
Pitcher (chunichi.co.jp, 16 Jun 2021)
:
Bats right, throws right (chunichi.co.jp, 16 Jun 2021)
:
His wife Mai Stoda is a singer and actress in Japan. (oricon.co.jp, 26 Jan 2012; Mai Satoda Instagram profile, 30 Jan 2021; up-front-create.com, 2019)
:
NPB [JPN] (rakuteneagles.jp, 01 Jul 2021)
:
He took up the sport in grade one of primary school in Izumi, Japan. (YouTube channel, 04 Feb 2021; masahiro-tanaka.jp, 01 Jul 2021)
:
He was influenced by his grandfather and father who often watched baseball matches while eating dinner, and he played the sport with his friends and cousins. "One day I watched a baseball team training at primary school, and a coach encouraged me to join the team." (YouTube channel, 04 Feb 2021)
:
To win gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (insidethegames.biz, 01 Feb 2021; YouTube channel, 16 Jun 2021)
:
Coach Katsuya Nomura, who was his first head coach at Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. (YouTube channel, 11 Feb 2021)
:
He was an MLB All-Star in 2014 and 2019. (mlb.com, 2021)

In 2013 he received the Nippon Professional Baseball [NPB] Pacific League Most Valuable Player [MVP] and Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award. (insidethegames.biz, 01 Feb 2021; rakuteneagles.jp, 01 Jul 2021)

In the NPB in both 2011 and 2013 he received the Top Winning Pitcher Award, a Best Nine Award, the Eiji Sawamura Award for Best Starting Pitcher, the Top Winning Percentage Pitcher Award and the Top Earned Run Average [ERA] Pitcher Award. (rakuteneagles.jp, 01 Jul 2021)

He received an NPB Golden Glove in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and the Best Strikeout Pitcher Award in 2012. (akuteneagles.jp, 01 Jul 2021)

In 2007 he received the NPB Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award. (rakuteneagles.jp, 01 Jul 2021)

General Interest

General
MLB EXPERIENCE
In 2014 he relocated to the United States of America after signing a seven-year contract with the New York Yankees worth USD$155 million. He featured in 174 games for the Yankees, and elected free agency in late 2020, and in January 2021 he returned to Japan after signing for NPB club Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the team that he made his NPB debut for in 2007. (insidethegames.biz, 01 Feb 2021; Instagram profile, 28 Jan 2021; rakuteneagles.jp, 01 Jul 2021; nhk.or.jp, 09 Apr 2019; sportsnet.ca, 28 Jan 2021)

2008 OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
He was part of the Japanese team that finished fourth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. "I'm the only player who had an Olympic experience in the current squad for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. I remembered that I followed senior members desperately, because I, who was only age 19 [in 2008], didn't know anything at that time. This time, as I'm the oldest player in the team, of course I will contribute to the team performance-wise, but I also think that my senior role in the team is equally important. I will do my best to make a good atmosphere in the team through communication, with the aim of gold." (olympics.com, 29 Jan 2021; YouTube channel, 16 Jun 2021; chunichi.co.jp, 16 Jun 2021)

Legend
:
Gold Medal
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos