Masahiro Tanaka Loses for the First Time in Nearly Two Years

On May 20, 2014, Masahiro Tanaka of the New York Yankees lost to the Chicago Cubs 6-1 at Wrigley Field, ending a winning streak that spanned two continents and nearly two calendar years. It was his first defeat in any professional baseball league since August 19, 2012, when he pitched for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Pacific League. The streak covered 42 consecutive regular-season starts without a loss.

Tanaka had arrived in New York that winter as the most expensive pitching import in baseball history, signed to a seven-year, $155 million contract after going 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in his final season with Rakuten. He started his Yankees career 6-0, looking every bit like the ace the front office had paid for. His splitter was devastating. His composure on the mound was total.

The Cubs broke through on this night. Starlin Castro noticed a dip in Tanaka's velocity compared to their earlier meeting in the Bronx. Emilio Bonifacio singled home a run in the third. Mike Olt drove in another in the fourth. Tanaka lasted six innings and allowed a career-high four runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. Chicago starter Jason Hammel held the Yankees to one run, and the Cubs' offense did the rest.

Tanaka took the loss quietly. He had entered the game with a 2.17 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 58 innings. One bad start did not change what he was. He finished his rookie season 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA before a partially torn elbow ligament shut him down in July.

The 42-start unbeaten streak remains one of the most remarkable runs in modern professional baseball, a record that bridged the NPB and MLB and held up against lineups on two sides of the Pacific.