Masahiro Tanaka's winning streak has come a long way since his loss to the Seibu Lions last season.
Back on the mound where he last tasted defeat, Tanaka brought the streak around full circle, just in time to write his name in the record books.
Tanaka threw eight strong innings, got a big assist from Ginji Akaminai's tiebreaking home run in the eighth, and won his Japanese baseball-record 21st straight decision in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' 3-1 win over the Lions on Friday night at Seibu Dome.