Masahiro Tanaka, international star pitcher and hero of Northern Japan, comes home

On January 28, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles fans must have felt like Christmas had arrived 11 months early when their club announced that it had signed Masahiro Tanaka to a two-year deal. Tanaka’s return to the Eagles lineup comes after a seven-year stint in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees, where the right-hander …