For fans of the Rakuten Eagles, the presence of Masahiro Tanaka holds a special significance.Numerous legendary matches unfolded during a total of 11 years of membership.Sports journalist Yuta Ishida, who has conducted several solo interviews with him during his time with the Rakuten Eagles, reflected on his achievements.

Ma-kun, son of God, a mysterious child – those were the words of Mr.Nomu, the former Manager of the Rakuten Eagles, Katsuya Nomura.When Masahiro Tanaka, in his first year out of high school, managed to become the winning pitcher despite giving up a lot of runs, Mr. Nomu laughed and said, “A god must have descended from heaven. He must have been born under such a star.”Tanaka thinks he might need to be thankful for these words from Mr. Nomu.The nickname “Ma-kun” gave a cute portrayal of Tanaka’s image.What I remember is four years later, when Tanaka raised his voice on the beach of Kumejima.The Rakuten Eagles have a longstanding tradition of early morning roll calls during their spring training camp.

“In my fifth year, I am Masahiro Tanaka, and 22 years old.”

The words Tanaka squeezed out from his gut, with his hands still clasped behind his back, were a declaration of war that caused a momentary commotion around him.

“I aim to take over the position of the opening pitcher from Mr. Hisashi Iwakuma , who has been the opening pitcher for four consecutive years, and strive for the Sawamura Award.”

It was the first time that Tanaka had spoken so clearly about his desire to be the opening pitcher.During this time, there was a trend among young pitchers to value non-attachment, seemingly believing it was cool not to show too much concern. They held views like “everyone is an ace,” “the opening game is just one match,” and “don’t obsess over titles.”However, Tanaka’s words gave the Showa era baseball fans a thrill.One person who was particularly moved was Mr. Senichi Hoshino, a baseball figure from the Showa era, who took over from Mr. Nomu this season as the manager of the Rakuten Eagles.

“Nice. Tanaka also needs to speak up to that extent.This should also stimulate Iwakuma, isn’t that good? Whether it’s Iwakuma or Tanaka starting the season opener, isn’t it exciting?”

It was such a cheerful manager that I couldn’t help but retort, isn’t it the manager who decides what’s fun? However, the situation completely changed on March 11, 2011, due to the nightmare-like massive earthquake that struck Eastern Japan.The season opener was postponed, and the Rakuten Eagles, whose stadium in Sendai was damaged, were no longer able to play games at home.And on April 15th, the Rakuten Eagles fought their first home game of the season at the Koshien Stadium.Manager Hoshino sent Tanaka to the pitcher’s mound to start the game.Tanaka made a powerful pitch against the ORIX Buffaloes.In the top of the 8th inning, leading 3-2 by one point and in a tight spot with one out and a runner on second base, we were facing Tomotaka Sakaguchi at bat.After one strike, a swing and a miss was taken with a forkball, pushing to the third pitch.Despite trying to lure Sakaguchi by throwing a straight ball to the outside course, he doesn’t swing his bat.Just before the fourth pitch, right as Tanaka was peering at the catcher’s signals, he suddenly broke into a grin.Why on earth did he laugh on the mound in this crisis? It was nerve-wracking to watch.

At this point, Tanaka threw a full-bodied straight pitch to the outside zone again, this time aiming for the lower end of the strike zone.Sakaguchi, who was supposed to have the upper hand, is completely broken, resulting in a swing and a miss.Tanaka managed to get out of a tight spot and clinched his first victory of the season with a complete game.In the difficult circumstances after the earthquake, Tanaka’s pitching moved me deeply.

The legend was established in the year 2013.Two years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tanaka, standing on the beach of Kumejima during the customary spring camp roll call, declared, “We, Rakuten, are the stars of this year’s Baseball world!” He shouted.And with an unbelievable record of 24 wins and 0 losses in a season, he won the Sawamura Award for the second time, leading the Rakuten Eagles to become the champions of Japan.The stage was set during the 7th game of the Japan Series against the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants when Tanaka stepped onto the pitcher’s mound in the bottom of the 9th inning, with the championship within reach, the falling rain had momentarily stopped.The “Atohitotsu” chorus from the crowd filling the stadium resounded in the distant night sky, unobstructed by the unsophisticated roof.With each pitch Tanaka threw, the raindrops started to grow larger.I felt as if the baseball stadium and the people of Tohoku were connected through the sky.Watching in the rain can be tough, but that night, the rain seemed to be part of the drama as well.The ground smoky with rain, cocktail lights illuminating the rain, a crimson red poncho wet with rain – all these rain-specific sceneries were fantastically staging that moment of being the best in Japan.

For Tanaka, the best Baseball manga was “MAJOR”.

“I’m not much of a manga reader, but I used to read baseball manga.Among them, ‘MAJOR’ was the best.I guess the first time I read it was when I was in middle school. I also admired Goro Shigeno.”

Tanaka, who transitioned from a catcher to a pitcher at Takarazuka Boys in Hyogo Prefecture, flourished his talent in high school.After graduating from middle school, Tanaka decided to move to Tomakomai in Hokkaido.Tanaka reflected on his resolve when he left his parents as a high school student and crossed the Tsugaru Strait alone, aiming for Koshien (Japanese High School Baseball Championship).

“No, I wasn’t alone, I was with my teammate from middle school, so going to Hokkaido was no problem at all.I’ve always been eager to leave home and play baseball.”I managed to get by without feeling homesick.”

Speaking of memories from high school days spent in Tomakomai…

“I think the winter training was special.Before practice, we would clear the accumulated snow and ice would appear. But we would put on spikes and carry out our usual practice on the dirt as if it was normal.Even though we are on ice, the manager doesn’t hold back on the knocks, hitting them as hard as if we were on the ground.Of course, it’s uneven so it will be irregular, right?In that regard, I was greatly mentally trained.I think I don’t want to do it again (laugh).

The summer of Tanaka’s first year.Although they were not able to make the bench, Komazawa University Tomakomai High School achieved the first national victory as a team from Hokkaido.Then, in his second year, Tanaka, wearing number 11, demonstrated the performance of an ace, contributing to the summer Koshien (Japanese High School Baseball Championship) consecutive victory, a feat achieved by only six schools in a span of 57 years.In the summer of the third year, we faced Waseda Jitsugyo, where Yuki Saito was, in the finals. Unfortunately, we lost as a result of the rematch.However, during the three years Tanaka was there, Komazawa University Tomakomai High School achieved 14 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw at the summer Koshien (Japanese High School Baseball Championship).Until the final in the third year of summer, there had been a 14-game winning streak.

“When I look at the videos from high school, I thought I was pretty solid back then, but I actually was quite thin.Our goal was not to go to Koshien (Japanese High School Baseball Championship), but to become the best in Japan, so we were all thinking of aiming for even higher places.In fact, everyone around me thought it was a given that I would go to Koshien, but I also thought it wasn’t that easy.

After graduating from high school, Tanaka consistently produced results for 7 years with the Rakuten Eagles, and for another 7 years with the New York Yankees.For seven years since his rookie year, he achieved double-digit victories six times. The only exception was his second year as a professional, where he won nine games.In his seven years in the major leagues, he achieved double-digit victories six times. The only time he didn’t reach this mark was during the shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where he won only three games.I once asked Tanaka about his definition of an “ace”.Tanaka said this.

“I believe that those who are referred to as the ‘ace’, need to have the determination to lead from the center of the team, and I think that’s the most important thing.But I believe that the existence of an ace is something that is created and evaluated by those around you, and only then does it truly come into being.No matter what position you hold, no matter what is said to you, you need to have the mindset that you are a central player in the team, and you must show your teammates your behavior that says, ‘This is it.’… Yes, I think that part needs to be maintained and continued, no matter what position you hold.”

When Tanaka returned to the Rakuten Eagles in 2021, he said, “I can’t contain my excitement.”He transferred to the New York Yankees at the age of 25, and returned to the Rakuten Eagles at the age of 32 – Tanaka talks about his decision to return to Tohoku at a time that marks 10 years from the earthquake.

“When I turned pro, it was through the draft, and when I went to the major leagues, it was through the posting system. Therefore, becoming a free agent was the first time I had the right to choose a team for myself. Therefore, the only choice for me was the Rakuten Eagles.”

Despite having offers from the major leagues, the timing of this decision must have been imbued with Tanaka’s own feelings.

“Just because 10 years have passed since the earthquake, it doesn’t mean that it’s over.Even if they are singled out from those around them, for those who have been fighting without change, the passing of 10 years doesn’t matter and they don’t think anything will change.In such circumstances, I made this decision, thinking that being near the victims might increase what I can do to help. While doing everything we can, I think we all want to continue living with vigor.”

On April 24, 2021, he marked his first victory after returning to Sendai, which was his 100th win in the NPB. Achieving this in 177 games was the second fastest in history.That year, despite a record of 4 wins and 9 losses, he reached the required number of innings pitched, and in 2022, he achieved 9 wins, essentially maintaining his rotation throughout the season.In 2023, he served as the opening pitcher for the first time in 11 years, and despite only seven wins this season, he continued to hold down a spot in the starting rotation.Although he couldn’t achieve a win this year, he kept preparing for the battle.

Over the course of seven years from 2007, Tanaka surpassed Iwakuma to become the ace.However, from 2021 over the following four years, Tanaka did not manage to return as the ace of the Rakuten Eagles.Even so, Tanaka continues to interact with children who are the future in Sendai, by organizing events such as the “Ma-kun Cup” for beginners to broaden the world of Baseball.

In the fall of 2013, the joy that Tanaka brought to Sendai, and Tohoku, along with the grand chorus of “Just one more”, will never fade away.On the night when he became Japan’s number one, Tanaka, standing on the pitcher’s mound, was surely connected to the people living in Tohoku through the sky.”Ma-kun” had been splendidly coloring the history of the Rakuten Eagles, as well as the difficult times of the Tohoku region.

TEXT: Yuta Ishida
EDIT: Chiharu Abe, Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)