To hear his teammates talk about Masahiro Tanaka, you would never know he has made only a dozen starts in the majors.
After Tanaka fought through six innings in the Yankees 2-1 win over the Athletics on Thursday, snapping a four-game losing streak, Mark Teixeira made clear what everyone already knew about the right-hander.
“That’s what a true ace is,” the first baseman said of Tanaka’s ability to halt the Yankees’ losing ways, if only for a day.
“A true ace stops losing streaks. There’s not another guy we want out there after losing a few in a row than Tanaka.”
The rookie has had better outings, no doubt.
Tanaka matched his season-low by lasting just six innings and his four strikeouts were fewer than he had in any previous start.
And while he cruised when retiring 10 straight between John Jaso’s second inning homer and Brandon Moss’ two-out single in the fourth, Tanaka’s pitch count skyrocketed over his final 2 ¹/₃ innings.
But he managed to not give up another run and, with the help of three scoreless innings from the bullpen, improved to 9-1 in what Joe Girardi called a “gritty” performance.
“He found a way to get out of those innings,” the manager said. “He never let up and he kept going at them … and ended up getting big outs.”
Consistently dissatisfied with his outings, even Tanaka admitted Thursday’s was important.
“As far as my personal performance goes, I don’t think it was my best performance of the season,” Tanaka said through an interpreter. “But given the fact that our team was in a slump or a funk and that we were facing one of the best teams in the league right now, I’m really happy I was able to contribute.”
So are the Yankees, who are in fairly rough shape as it is and would be in particularly dire straits if Tanaka hadn’t ended up in The Bronx.
Girardi, like some others — including Tanaka — steadfastly refuses to admit the rookie is the ace of the staff. That doesn’t mean the manager hasn’t been impressed.
“That ace status, what’s it mean?” Girardi said. “For me, the most important pitcher is the pitcher pitching that day.”
OK, but is he the ace?
“He’s the most experienced,” Girardi added, oddly. “I know when it comes to service time you’re not gonna say that, but what he’s done in Japan and what he’s been able to do here, he’s stepped up for us and kind of assumed that role.”
And it didn’t take long to open the eyes of his teammates.
“I’d never really seen him pitch, but you hear stories,” Teixeira said. “I don’t think any of us really knew exactly how he was gonna do, but we’re all just super-pleased that he’s here.”