Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who signed a seven-year, $155 million deal with the New York Yankees after using the new posting system, will wear the No. 19 uniform, the club announced on Friday.
Tanaka, 25, joins notable former Yankees to don that number such as lefties Whitey Ford and Dave Righetti, who had 252 career saves. Other Yankees who have worn the number include Johnny Murphy, Fritz Peterson and Al Leiter.
In his seven years with the Rakuten Eagles, Tanaka wore No. 18. Right-hander Hiroki Kuroda has donned No. 18 with the Yankees since 2012.
Hall of Famer Ford, who had 236 career victories for the Yanks, wore No. 19 when he debuted in 1950. Bob Turley, who won the Cy Young Award in 1958, used the number from 1955 to 1962. Righetti, who threw a no-hitter in 1983 before taking over as the Yankees' closer, wore it from 1981 to 1990.
