- Masahiro Tanaka will be competing for Japan in the Olympic baseball event.
- He was a two-time all-star when on the New York Yankees.
- Tanaka is able to compete in the Olympics as he returned to Japan to play professional baseball last season.
TOKYO – Masahiro Tanaka will be one of the biggest names competing in the Olympic baseball event as a former MLB all-star and local legend. Japan, led by Tanaka, are the +105 betting favorites to win the gold medal.
Who Is Masahiro Tanaka?
Masahiro Tanaka is a 32-year-old pitcher from Japan. He signed a seven-year deal with the New York Yankees before the 2014 season after dominating the Japanese leagues.
He recorded a 78-46 record, a 3.74 ERA and 991 strikeouts in his MLB career. After leaving the MLB to go back to Japan, Tanaka is eligible to compete in the Olympics for the host country, Japan.
The timing is perfect for Tanaka as baseball is making its return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008 and MLB players are unable to compete.
Tanaka played in 2008 Olympic Games prior to joining the MLB and will be the only player on his team with Olympic experience.
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Will Tanaka Leave With A Medal?
The odds provided by online sportsbooks give Japan not only the best odds to win a medal, but to win the gold medal.
Tokyo 2021 - Men's Baseball
- Japan (JPN) +105
- USA (USA) +300
- South Korea (KOR) +310
- Dominican Republic (DOM) +650
- Mexico (MEX) +1100
- Israel (ISR) +3300
Tanaka was unable to win a medal back in 2008 as Japan lost to the eventual champions, South Korea, in the knockout stage and then again to the United States in the bronze medal match.
Tanaka could very well be the best pitcher in all of the Olympics as he was named an MLB all-star just two years ago in 2019.
Those betting on the Olympics can expect any game Tanaka pitches in to go well for Japan.
Nick got involved with the world of sports at a young age and never turned his back on it. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Broadcast/Journalism. In his free time, you can catch him at the bottom of the leaderboards on any video game he’s playing.
