Former New York Yankee Masahiro Tanaka will open the season as the second starting pitcher in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles rotation, manager Kazuhisa Ishii said Saturday.
Tanaka, who returned to the Pacific League club this year for the first time since his 2013 MVP season, will pitch the day after veteran righty Hideaki Wakui opens the season for the Eagles on March 26.
Ishii made the announcement after the Eagles' practice game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at the Central League club's camp in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture. Tanaka started the game and allowed one run on two hits over three innings.