[Rakuten Eagles] Chiharu Tanaka, who was transferred as part of the player compensation, runs one scoreless inning against his former team, The Giants

Sports Hochi

February 23, 2026 15:28

Rakuten Eagles 's Chiharu Tanaka took the mound in the 7th inning against his former team, the Yomiuri The Giants (Photo by Yasuto Kobayashi)

◆Pre-season game The Giants and Rakuten Eagles (23rd, Naha)

pitcher Chiharu Tanaka, who joined Rakuten Eagles as compensation for Norimoto’s free agent transfer to The Giants, took the mound in an exhibition game against his former team, the The Giants. He held them runs and allowed only one hit in one inning, making a strong case for making the opening day roster.

With a one-run lead in the 7th inning, Sen Tanaka went up mound and allowed Yamase, with whom he had worked as a battery partner until last year, to hit hit one up the middle, but finally got out of trouble by striking out struck out Utsunomiya on his signature fork pitch with two outs and two outs.