We Get It Tanaka. You're Good. Why Did You Have to Show It to the Cubs Though?

So can we just give Masahiro Tanaka the Rookie of the Year Award and maybe even Cy Young just to make the bleeding worse? He embarrassed my Cubbies yesterday, blanking them in a 3-0 victory. What got the Cubs? Tanaka was able to make a smooth transition from Japan to the MLB for one big reason: the split fingered fast ball.

Yes, it’s that split fingered fast ball that Koji Uehara employs to have so many wiffs and a 101/9 K/BB ratio, the first time anybody had more than 100 strikeouts and less than 10 walks…ever. Will Tanaka be the second? No, since he’s a starting pitcher. But as of now, his 28/2 K/BB ratio is the highest in the game.

And look at that strikeout ratio! It’s nothing compared to Felix Hernandez’s 39 (more on the King later), but it’s the highest strikeout total for a Yankee in their first three starts, passing Al Leiter with 25. According to ESPN Stats & Information, his 28 strikeouts through his first three major league games are tied for third-most since 1900, only behind JR Richard in 1971 and Stephen Strasburg in 2010. He is also the second pitcher since 1900 to start his career with at least eight K’s in the first three games, joining Strasburg in that category.

He allowed only two hits and a walk while striking out 10 for the second time in a row. Those two hits were bunts, including Anthony Rizzo’s bunt to beat the shift. He is now 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA. Here’s how he won:

1.      He threw 31 splitters, so far the most in his three starts, and Cubs were 0-10 with six strikeouts vs. his splitter. Hitters were 5-of-16 vs. the splitter in his first two starts.

2.      The Cubs were 0-for-16 (with a walk) after reaching 0-1 count. This means that he has gotten ahead of batters. His past two starts, hitters were 9-27 after an 0-1 count.

3.      He reached only two counts of three balls. He ended up with 107 pitches, but when you go eight innings anyways, that’s still pretty good.

I watched his entire performance, and it killed me every time he got a K. But his split looked good, and was able to locate his fastball well. That split needs to sink, however, and not hang. That’s what happened with his first batter, as a hanging split went for a home run, one of two that he’s given up this year.

Can he continue to pitch like this?

First off, the Cubs offense is weak. Very weak. So far, however, Tanaka has a tasted of both the AL and NL, plus his division, all by going at least seven innings to get a quality start. But I think that he can maintain a sub-3 ERA with maybe even 15 wins. Think of the stats Hiroki Kuroda has put up with the Yankees over the past two years, and apply it to Tanaka.

While last year it was the National League that had nothing but rookies that dominated the game, this time it’s the American league that has the rookie powerhouse, including Tanaka, Jose Abreu, and Xander Bogaerts. All three have been doing really well, but I think Tanaka can pull out Rookie of the Year.

Cy Young? As of now, King Felix is destroying that category, so no. And I think by the end of the year, Tanaka won’t even be in the top 5. That doesn’t mean he does not have potential to win a Cy Young though!

It was bad enough that he denied to become a Chicago Cub, but then he blanks them with 10 K’s in one of the most dominant performances I’ve seen all year? Come on, Tanaka, cut me some slack.