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.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.