Barring a meeting with the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series, Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Yukio Tanaka played his final game at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday night against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and he went out with a bang.
Yukio Tanaka of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters acknowledges the crowd at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday night following his final regular-season game at the Big Egg. Tanaka is retiring at the end of the season after 22 years with Nippon Ham.
KYODO PHOTOTanaka drove in a critical run to help spark a four-run inning, and got a standing ovation from both Nippon Ham and Rakuten supporters after the Fighters clinched a spot in the postseason with a 6-0 win.