The streak ends at 42.
Masahiro Tanaka, who hadn’t lost a regular season game since August 19, 2012, lost for the first time in the major leagues last night. The Yankees rookie allowed four runs in six innings as Mike Olt drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-1 victory at Wrigley Field.
“I think I was able to get the streak going because I had support from my teammates,” Tanaka told reporters via an interpreter. “I’m a little bit disappointed because I think a lot of the fans were looking for me to keep on winning. Next time out, I’ll try to get a win again and get it going again.”
Tanaka posted a 24-0 record last season with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball before winning six games with the Yankees this season. Tanaka lost a Japan Series game last year after winning one. But for 21 months, he remained unbeaten as a starter in regular season games.
The 25-year-old righty looks to start a new streak Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.