Seattle, WA, USA Seattle Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma (18) delivers to the plate against the Houston Astros during the second inning at Safeco Field. At the end of the season, he required elbow surgery. Some time later, an oblique strain sidelined him.

He was slated to be the Opening Day starter, but hours before the game, he experienced back stiffness. Iwakuma was limited to just 16 starts due to various ailments. Tanaka finished second in strikeouts with 196. In 2007, which was Tanaka’s rookie season, the Golden Eagles finished with a record of 67-75-2, putting them in fourth place in the six-team division. You would think that seeing these numbers might have meant some good showings in the NPB’s Pacific Division. Rakuten was the ultimate winner of the Tanaka sweepstakes (sound familiar?) and signed him to a deal.įor those five seasons with Rakuten (2007 though 2011), the duo posted some fairly impressive numbers. He would strike out 456 opposing batters in his three years, surpassing the previous record of 423 which had been set by Daisuke Matsuzaka.ĭuring the September 2006 high school draft, four teams (Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Orix Buffaloes, Yokohama BayStars and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ) selected Tanaka with their first round selection. Tanaka came to the Golden Eagles after a highly-touted high school career. He was eventually traded to Rakuten for cash. Another team was necessary, and thus the Rakuten Golden Eagles were born from this move.īut Iwakuma refused to go with the newly formed Orix Buffaloes, leading to a contract dispute. The merger was done to alleviate financial strains, but a void was created in the six-team Pacific League. After the 2004 season, the Buffaloes would merge with the Orix BlueWave. Iwakuma began with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. I’m sure the requests for press credentials has been stout for those that handle those for the Seattle Mariners.

Tonight, the former teammates will face each other for the first time in a professional game. Tanaka started and, for the moment, ended his NPB career with Rakuten. Iwakuma came to the Golden Eagles in 2005. The other hit the ground running at the age of 18 after a highly successful high school career, breaking records along the way.įor five years, Masahiro Tanaka and Hisashi Iwakuma were teammates with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. One was once with another franchise upon the start of his NPB career, and the way he ultimately became a teammate was rather odd. Their paths started a little differently in Nippon Professional Baseball.

All About Chiptune by Tanaka Hisashi