Masahiro Tanaka (37) of the Yomiuri Giants is facing the risk of being demoted to the minor leagues.

On the 1st, the Yomiuri Giants achieved a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in a game that went to 12 innings at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

Starting pitcher Tanaka allowed 8 hits, 3 walks, and recorded 2 strikeouts while giving up 3 runs over 3 innings before leaving the mound early. However, the bullpen, consisting of Tatsuya Ishikawa (2 innings, no runs), Kenshin Hotta (1 inning, no runs), Hiromasa Funabashi (1 inning, no runs), Yuhei Takahashi (1 inning, no runs), Eito Tanaka (1 inning, no runs), Taisei Ota (1 inning, no runs), and Kyle Keller (2 innings, no runs), held the remaining innings scoreless, setting the stage for the walk-off victory.

In the batting lineup, Naoki Yoshikawa shined with a game-winning 3-run triple in the 12th inning, going 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs, while Trey Cabbage had a remarkable performance with 3 hits in 6 at-bats, 1 RBI, and 2 runs. Kazuma Okamoto also contributed with a multi-hit game.

Japanese media outlet Sports Hochi noted, "The Yomiuri Giants secured a walk-off victory in the 12th inning. However, after making his first appearance in the first team in two weeks following the game against Yokohama on the 17th, Tanaka, who was aiming for his second win of the season and his 199th career win in Japan and the U.S., allowed 5 consecutive hits with 2 outs in the first inning, resulting in 3 runs over 3 innings and 69 pitches, leading to his removal."

Tanaka is a veteran ace with a career record of 78 wins and 46 losses, an earned run average of 3.74 over 174 major league games (1,054⅓ innings), and 120 wins and 69 losses with an earned run average of 2.71 over 251 Nippon Professional Baseball games (1,788 innings). He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2020 and returned to his former team, Rakuten, in 2021.

Since returning to Japan, Tanaka has not reached 10 wins in a season. He finished last year with only one appearance due to injury, where he allowed 6 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, struck out 1, and gave up 4 runs over 5 innings. As his struggles continued, Tanaka and Rakuten had disagreements during salary negotiations. His salary last season was 2.6 billion yen (approximately $26 million), but after the season, he was not able to negotiate his salary satisfactory with Rakuten. Ultimately, Tanaka left Rakuten, where he had played for 11 years, excluding his time in Major League Baseball, and became a free agent. In December of last year, he signed a contract with the Yomiuri Giants worth an estimated 1.6 billion yen (approximately $16 million) for one year.

Currently challenging for his 200th career win in Japan and the U.S., Tanaka has recorded 1 win and 1 loss with an earned run average of 9.00 over 3 games (10 innings) this season, struggling with his performance. After the loss against Yokohama on the 17th, he was called up from the minor leagues after making adjustments, but his performance on this day was also unsatisfactory.

Yomiuri manager Shinno Suke Abe said about Tanaka's next appearance, "I cannot say when it will be. Unfortunately, this result has come about." He also responded to the possibility of Tanaka being demoted to the minor leagues by saying, "It seems likely that will be the case."

Once recognized as a top ace in Major League Baseball, Tanaka has only 2 wins remaining to reach his coveted 200 wins in Japan and the U.S., but it appears that achieving this is not an easy task. The situation surrounding whether Tanaka can rebound through adjustments in the remaining season is drawing attention.

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