Editor's note: Masahiro Tanaka pitched on the night after this story was published and struck out seven in a four-hit shutout to improve to 12-0 with a 1.24 ERA and extend his scoreless innings streak to 40.

The next time Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles he'll be trying to win his 12th consecutive decision since opening day.

Tanaka (11-0) actually hasn't lost a game since Aug. 19 of last season, and given that he pitched July 2, he'll probably toe the rubber against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome.