NEW YORK -- Sure, it was meaningful that Masahiro Tanaka walked away with the victory after going head-to-head with the Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma, whom he admired greatly back when they were teammates with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
But what Tanaka was really proud about -- and what the Yankees needed more -- was that he stepped up as their stopper. Tanaka halted New York's four-game losing streak with a sharp effort Sunday, helping the Yankees to a 4-3 victory over Seattle at Yankee Stadium.
"I'm extremely satisfied being able to get that win," Tanaka said through an interpreter.