Masahiro Tanaka hasn’t pitched well this season. There’s no way around it. Through eight starts, the right-hander owns a staggering 5.80 ERA. His peripherals don’t look much better either. He has a 5.34 FIP, a mark well out of line with his career average. Save for a complete game shutout in Boston, Tanaka has looked lost on the mound.
No matter which way you dice it, the Yankees ace has struggled in 2017. He’s pitched below his career norms in almost every category. What explains this ineffectiveness? In order to answer that question, it makes sense to first dive into Tanaka’s performance.