Tanaka Masahiro Aims To Lead Team To National Win
Professional baseball pitcher Tanaka Masahiro, who is rejoining his former Japanese team after playing seven seasons for the New York Yankees, told a news conference in Tokyo on Saturday that he wants to win the national title again.
Tanaka is returning eight years after he led the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to their first Japan Series victory. Team owner Mikitani Hiroshi and manager Ishii Kazuhisa joined him at the conference.
Tanaka said he found it meaningful that he became a free agent right before the 10th anniversary of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake that hit the team's home city of Sendai in northeastern Japan.
He said he considered renewing his contract with the Yankees when it concluded last season. But after communicating through his agent, he decided they needed to part ways. He said it was the most difficult decision he had ever made.
Tanaka said he wanted to come back and pitch in Japan while he is still at the peak of his career. He said he is excited to show Japanese fans how much he has improved.
Tanaka will wear his former uniform number 18, a number which traditionally belongs to the ace player on a Japanese baseball team. Tanaka said he views it as more than just his previous number, but as one he aspires to live up to.
Tanaka also said he hopes to take part in this year's Olympic Games, which he could not have done if the Games had been held as scheduled last year. He said he wants to win the gold medal that the Japanese team could not bring home from Beijing.
Tanaka revealed he has the option of negotiating with other teams after this season, and he suggested he might return to the Major Leagues to do what he left undone.
But he added he came back to Japan not as an interim step but to win the national title. He said he wants to win as many games as possible and live up to people's expectations.