Early Signs Show Masahiro Tanaka Is Still Game-Changing Ace

Masahiro Tanaka has dealt with so many setbacks and wrestled so many doubts over the past year, it's easy to forget what a transcendent talent he is. With another stellar start Tuesday night, the New York Yankees ace reminded us all.

In one of the better pitching showcases you're likely to see—Tanaka versus Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals—Tanaka came out on top with seven strong innings of five-hit, one run ball in a 6-1 Yankees win.

Since coming off the disabled list June 3, Tanaka has gone 2-0, allowing just two runs in 14 innings with 15 strikeouts.

"I think he enjoys the stage," Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said after Tanaka outdueled Scherzer, per ESPN.com's Andrew Marchand. "I do. I think that is one of the reasons he came to New York. I think he likes the competition and the excitement of pitching here."

Of course, things haven't always been easy since Tanaka arrived in the Big Apple.

After spending the offseason resting the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow that cost him more than two months in 2014, Tanaka landed on the DL again April 28 with a strain of his right forearm and tendinitis in his right wrist. 

Phrases like "injury-prone" and, yes, the dreaded "Tommy John surgery" started cropping up again. Even Tanaka's biggest boosters had to wonder whether the 26-year-old right-hander—who logged more than 1,300 innings in seven seasons with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball—was damaged goods.

Two quality starts won't assuage those fears completely. Yankees fans will still hold their breath with every wince and twinge.

For now, though, Tanaka is flashing the stuff that makes him, when he's right, one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.

Remember in spring training, when Pedro Martinez took to SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio and declared Tanaka "not completely healthy right now" and "hesitant to let it go" (via George A. King III of the New York Post)? 

Adam Hunger/Getty Images

When Tanaka went down in April, Martinez looked prescient. But since his return, Tanaka has unleashed the mid-90s velocity and the darting splitter that routinely makes All-Star mashers look like Triple-A scrubs. 

Tanaka's control, likewise, has been impeccable. He's issued no walks since returning to action, and on Tuesday, 63 of his 87 pitches were strikes. Overall, in his last two starts, Tanaka has thrown 165 pitches and 121 strikes. 

"That's as efficient as he's ever been," Girardi said, per Newsday's Greg Logan. "He's where he was last year."

Ah, last year. Seems so long ago now, but before his elbow ligament made headlines, Tanaka was primed to earn American League Rookie of the Year honors and challenge for a Cy Young.

If that guy is back, and stays back, what a boon it will be for the Yankees as they try to stay atop the eminently winnable AL East and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2012.

Tanaka joins Michael Pineda, who has fanned 76 hitters in 70.1 innings, to form one of the more potent one-two rotation combos in baseball. In fact, Fox Sports' Tom Verducci told Ryan Hatch of NJ Advance Media, "The Yankees haven't had two starters this young this good since Mel Stottlemyre and Stan Bahnsen in 1968."

Quibble if you want—Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina pitched pretty well in 2001, for example. The mere fact that Verducci is reaching back more than four decades for a comparison should tell you all you need to know about the the Tanaka/Pineda tandem.

Can it last? Both pitchers have injury histories, so there's room for pessimism if that's your persuasion.

At the moment, though, the Yankees are where they always feel they belong: in first place. And, thanks to the return of their game-changing ace, they have designs on staying there.

All statistics current as of June 9 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.