Masahiro Tanaka, who has a combined 197 wins in NPB and MLB, has joined the Yomiuri Giants on a one-year contract.
At an introductory news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, December 25, explained his motivation to keep pitching. "I want to prove that I can still pitch well," he told reporters.
Tanaka joined the Giants in the same month that 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, the team's longtime ace, signed a contract with MLB's Baltimore Orioles.
Instead of agreeing to a 40% pay cut for 2025, Tanaka, 36, asked the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to release him.
His request was granted by the team for which he won 119 games in 11 seasons.
The Giants offered Tanaka a one-year ¥160 million JPY (about $1.02 million USD) deal.
"I am very honored to be able to wear the uniform of the Giants, of which I have been a fan since I was a child," the Hyogo Prefecture native said, according to Daily Sports.
Ambitious Goals but Still a Question Mark
Masahiro Tanaka isn't thinking just about reaching his goal of 200 wins. He has set higher standards for himself.
"I don't want to stop at three wins," he was quoted as saying at the news conference by NHK. He then said, "I want to contribute to as many wins as possible for the team."
Tanaka added, "First of all, I need to win the competition so that I can be a member of the starting rotation."
Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe, entering his second season as the dugout boss in 2025, summarized his aspirations for Tanaka next season.
"I have high expectations for Tanaka, and all I want is for him to win double-digit games, put on a Giants uniform and become Japan's number one pitcher with us," Abe was quoted as saying by NHK.
It remains to be seen if Tanaka can still handle a heavy workload as a pitcher.
Tanaka had offseason surgery on his right elbow in 2023. Then, starting in August, he pitched in five games for Rakuten's Eastern League farm team.
After that, he made one start for the Eagles late in the season, working five innings and allowing six hits and four runs in a loss to the visiting Orix Buffaloes in Sendai on September 28.
"This was the first season in which I couldn't do anything, so it was extremely frustrating," Tanaka said, according to NHK.
Big Success in NPB and MLB
Masahiro Tanaka began his NPB career in 2007 and pitched for Rakuten until 2013. During that span, he had two incredible seasons, going 19-5 with a 1.27 ERA in 2011 and 24-0 with, again, a 1.27 ERA in 2013. The Eagles captured the Japan Series title in the final season of his first stint with the Pacific League club.
In January 2014, Tanaka signed a seven-year contract with the New York Yankees and compiled a 78-46 win-loss record for MLB's most storied franchise. He had double-digit win totals in each of his first six seasons in Yankee pinstripes, including a 14-4 record in 2016. Tanaka was a two-time MLB All-Star.
After returning to the Eagles in 2021, Tanaka had mixed results. And he no longer looked like the pitching ace he once was.
In 2021, he went 4-9 with a 3.01 ERA in 23 starts. A year later, he was 9-12 with a 3.31 ERA in 25 starts. In 2023, he went 7-11 with a 4.91 ERA, making 24 starts for Rakuten.
Tanaka said he is determined to rely on his veteran guile while pitching for the Giants. At the Christmas Day press gathering, he acknowledged he's a different pitcher now than he was in his unbeaten 2013 season.
"I will continue to train hard in the off-season and prepare for the start of camp," Tanaka said, referring to spring training, according to The Sankei Shimbun.
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Soccer
Longtime Referee Nishimura Announces Retirement
After a quarter century as a soccer referee, Yuichi Nishimura is stepping away from his work as a game official.
The 52-year-old Tokyo native recently announced his retirement.
Nishimura was employed from 1999 until 2024 as a professional referee in the J.League first division (407 matches in total).
He also worked as an international referee from 2004-14, including at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. His international experience also included the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2012 London Olympics.
"I was able to enrich my life through refereeing," Nishimura told a news conference on December 19 in Tokyo, according to Jiji Press.
In 2025, Nishimura will start working as the Japan Football Association's new referee manager, providing opportunities to share what he's learned over the years.
After all, his overall philosophy of the job was developed through experience.
"No one is born a referee," Nishimura was quoted as saying by Jiji Press. "You have to take on challenges without being afraid of making mistakes. That's all there is to it."
Talented Scorer Germain Signs with Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Ryo Germain, who was tied for third in goals (19) in the 2024 J.League season, signed a contract to play for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2025.
Germain, 29, suited up for Jubilo Iwata from 2022-24.
He also previously played for Vegalta Sendai and Yokohama FC, making his J.League debut in 2017.
Early in the 2024 campaign ― in Jubilo's second match, to be precise ― Germain delivered a performance that was an omen of things to come: lots of goals in his 32 appearances. On March 1, he scored four times in a 5-4 triumph over Kawasaki Frontale.
Sanfrecce finished second in the J.League this past season, four points behind title-winning Vissel Kobe. Another potent scorer should boost their title chances next year.
Germain, whose father is American and mother is Japanese, said he's fired up about the challenge that lies ahead for him and his new team.
"I believe that the next few years will be my prime, physically, mentally and skill-wise," said German in a team-issued statement.
Added the Kanagawa Prefecture native, "I have come here with the intention of devoting all of my energy to helping Hiroshima win the championship."
Basketball
Golden Kings Secure a Berth in the EASL Semifinals
Keve Aluma scored 21 points and perimeter marksman Ryuichi Kishimoto sparked the Ryukyu Golden Kings with a 20-point effort in the B.League squad's 82-74 victory over the New Taipei Kings in the East Asia Super League on Wednesday, December 25.
Kishimoto sank 6 of 7 3-point attempts at Okinawa Arena, helping his team improve to 4-0 in EASL group stage competition.
Ryukyu big man Jack Cooley finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
With the victory, the Group B-leading Golden Kings clinched a spot in the tournament's semifinals, becoming the first team to do so. The EASL Final Four is set for March 7-9 at Macau's Studio City Event Center.
"Last season, we couldn't make it to the Final Four," Kishimoto told reporters after Ryukyu's Christmas Day triumph. "But this season, this is the first step for us to win the EASL, so we will have to win [one game at a time]."
New Taipei slipped to 1-2.
Up next: New Taipei plays host to Ryukyu on January 8.
Dragonflies Improve to 3-1 in the EASL
Also on Christmas Day, the reigning B.League champion Hiroshima Dragonflies defeated the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots 84-73 in a Group A match.
Dwayne Evans paced the visiting Dragonflies (3-1) with 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Teammate Takuto Nakamura chipped in with 18 points and three steals.
"It feels great," Evans told reporters before adding, "It's a really important win for us coming off of a loss. Everyone played well today. Happy to come out with a win."
Hiroshima led 53-37 at halftime in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
The Pilots fell to 3-1 in the EASL.
Up next for the Dragonflies: a home game against the Philippine Basketball Association's San Miguel Beermen on January 8.
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Figure Skating
Hanyu to Hold Ice Shows in Miyagi Prefecture in March
Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who retired from competitive skating in July 2022, remains active with his popular skating shows. For the third consecutive March, he has scheduled ice shows at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, Miyagi Prefecture.
A native of nearby Sendai, Hanyu grew up in the region devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.
With his ice shows set to be held March 7-9, 2025, in Rifu, Hanyu seeks to generate positivity.
"I'd like to skate with hope, wish and [a] will that can make people feel positive about the future even if only a little," Hanyu said in a statement.
Hanyu turned 30 on December 7.
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Quote of the Week
"I will definitely get revenge and prove that I can get back up again and again."
―Boxer Kazuto Ioka said during a live broadcast on his Instagram page on December 25, Sports Nippon reported, referring to his New Year's Eve super flyweight title rematch against Argentina's Fernando Martinez, the WBA champion. The bout will be held at Tokyo's Ota City General Gymnasium.
In their first ring encounter, Martinez defeated Ioka, a former four-division champion, by unanimous decision on July 7 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
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Editor's note: Thank you for reading sports coverage from SportsLook and JAPAN Forward in 2024. Your feedback and story ideas are always welcome. Email: e.odeven@japan-forward.com.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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