Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka keeps making it sound like he’s leaving NYY

Is this truly going to be Masahiro Tanaka’s last season with the Yankees?

New York fans are feeling good on this Wednesday morning. The Yankees took Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Cleveland Indians after rocking Shane Bieber and riding Gerrit Cole’s incredible playoff debut in pinstripes, and now Masahiro Tanaka is ready for Game 2. Playoff Tanaka could very well send the Bombers to the ALDS.

It also could very well be Tanaka’s last start as a Yankee, at worst. At best, this could be his final playoff run with the team. We’d love to think the front office is going to bring him back in the offseason, but based on what the right-hander’s been saying, we’re just not sure what’s going to happen.

We’d love to chalk it up to the language barrier, but Tanaka speaks through a translator, so one can assume he’s cognizant of what he’s saying and what his words mean. And yet again on Tuesday, he made it sound like his Yankees career was all but over.

Maybe he’s living in the moment and wants to soak in his potential final games with the team. There’s more uncertainty than ever as we near the end of the 2020 season, so Tanaka may just want to appreciate what’s in front of him, since nothing is guaranteed once October comes to a close.

But has his agent already had discussions with the front office? Why do all these quotes and messages have an ominous tone to them? Perhaps it’s different from a fan’s perspective because many can’t picture Tanaka playing for another MLB team.

He also had this to say before Tuesday’s game:

This, according to Google Translation, says:

“The postseason begins today. There were ups and downs, and it was a difficult season. Even so, we still have this far, and I think we have all the talents who can conquer the World Series! I hope I can keep a good concentration and play hot baseball.”

OK! That’s a positive message! But it was sandwiched in between his initial farewell social media posts and his comments before the Yankees’ Game 1 victory.

The best we can do is shut out all this noise and enjoy the right-hander’s outing on Wednesday night. He’s one of the best pitchers in Yankees postseason history, and if this happens to be the end, we really need to cherish every last pitch of this magnificent ride.

Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka worries NYY fans with farewell social media posts

New York Yankees playoff ace and beloved starter Masahiro Tanaka got very emotional after his final regular season start in 2020.