When the "Year of Ma-kun" comes to an end and Masahiro Tanaka collects the hardware likely headed his way as NPB's best pitcher, there should be at least a little praise left over for Orix Buffaloes pitcher Chihiro Kaneko.
Tanaka's unprecedented run of success — 27 consecutive winning decisions since last losing on Aug. 19, 2012 — and questions surrounding a possible move to MLB have created a news cycle around him that's not unlike a force of nature in the way it has swallowed up the lion's share of headlines and attention in Japan.
While the spotlight has been trained on the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' ace, Kaneko has put up numbers that have been nearly as impressive.