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Masahiro Tanaka feels last year’s arm injury is behind him

By Will Osgood

Feb 19, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) throws a bullpen session at New York Yankees minor league complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) throws a bullpen session at New York Yankees minor league complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is back on the mound this spring and feeling ‘fine’ 

New York Yankees phenom pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is back on the mound in Tampa, Florida throwing the ball the same as any other pitcher would in Yankees camp.

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Tanaka says he feels fine and believes the injury, a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right pitching elbow, is behind him.

He threw 21 pitches in his first bullpen session of the spring on Thursday, and plans to up that slightly when he takes the mound again on Sunday.

“I feel it is absolutely healed. I am absolutely fine”, Tanaka said through his interpreter Thursday. He was in bright spirits and truly does look ready to go as the Yankees’ ace in 2015.

That’s what he was last year, his first in the majors after a sparkling career in Japan which made him one of the most sought out pitchers to ever come over from Japan.

The MLB rookie earned a trip to the All-Star Game in his first season in pinstripes and was the American League pitcher of the month in May. But in July, just a few days shy of the All-Star Game, Tanaka had his worst outing as a Yankee, then quickly flew to Seattle to get expert advice on his elbow.

Despite missing three months, Tanaka was second in the American League with three complete games—likely a carryover from pitching in Japan where pitchers are not babied the way they are here in the states.

He finished the season 13-5 with an impressive 2.77 ERA and 136.1 innings. He struck out 141 hitters and walked just 21, proving he could not only be the Yankees’ ace, but also a legitimate CY Young candidate year-to-year.

Prior to signing a huge 7-year, $155 million contract in the 2014 offseason, Tanaka was courted by a plethora of teams, and seemed to have his sights on pitching for either the Cubs or the Yankees—two teams capable of spending a lot of money.

Still some scouts were unsure if he was a true No. 1 in the majors. The only question now is if the elbow injury will keep him from being the dominant ace many projected him to be.

Assuming he gets through the spring without complication, Tanaka is obvious choice to start on Opening Day for New York who begin their season on Monday, April 6 hosting the Toronto Blue Jays in a matinee that will be shown on ESPN.

Despite Tanaka’s half-season brilliance in 2014, the Yankees sputtered to a 84-78 record, though still good for second place in a surprisingly weak AL East division.

Tanaka makes $22 million this season and throughout the life of his contract, except for the final one, when he can see a $1 million bump. He does have an opt-out clause after the 2017 season he can use, at a time when he’ll still be just 29.

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