Masahiro Tanaka returned to pitch in Japan this winter after he was unable to get the deal he wanted with the Yankees, but his reasons for leaving MLB extended beyond baseball and business.
In an interview with Japanese weekly magazine Josei Jishin this weekend, the right-hander revealed the discrimination and safety factored into his decision in returning to Japan.
The article, which surfaced on Reddit and is roughly translated via Google, suggests Tanaka and his family faced discrimination due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The article cites Tanaka’s 5-year-old son as having an unpleasant time in school and his wife, Mai Satoda, experiencing anxiety and a desire to return to Japan with a priority on family safety.
The disheartening revelation from the former Yankees pitcher comes amid an increase in hate crimes against Asian-Americans within the United States.
Last year, Tanaka tweeted in April that he had returned to Japan while MLB was shut down after an incident that made him “feel dangerous” while leaving the Yankees’ camp in Tampa.
Tanaka never elaborated on the incident to U.S. media, though.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman was asked about what Tanaka shared on Monday.
"Obviously, racism is not acceptable anywhere, and I feel horrible," Cashman said. "I'm aware of the article, I have not read it or had it translated, but I know he experienced something. There's no place in this world for racism, so it's heartbreaking to hear any of these stories. We as a society need to do a better job of making sure that is unwelcome in any walk of life. I'm sorry to hear about it. I did talk to Tanaka personally when he left to go back to Japan and thanked him for everything, and we had a good conversation about his time here, but none of that was shared by him to me."
The 32-year-old signed with his former team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, back in January. He is expected to miss the first three weeks of the season, though, due to a right calf injury.
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