SAPPORO — Masahiro "Ma-kun" Tanaka gained his fame as a phenomenal high school hurler on this northern island.
The Golden Eagles right-hander exhibited his unbridled talent in front of 42,328 spectators in Hokkaido once again.
The 20-year-old Tanaka ended the possibility of a series sweep by tossing a solid complete game in Tohoku Rakuten's 3-2 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Game 3 of the Pacific League Climax Series second stage on Friday night.