At the 2006 Koshien tournament, teenager Masahiro Tanaka threw a staggering 742 pitches, then returned the next day to pitch more than seven innings in relief. He began his baseball life as a catcher in Hyogo, throwing to future Giants shortstop Hayato Sakamoto, before his cannon of a right arm made him Japan's most coveted draft prospect.

Tanaka shouldered an impossible workload, capped by a perfect 24-0 season and a 160-pitch championship game, before a $155 million deal took him to the New York Yankees. When his elbow tore, he bypassed Tommy John surgery for a PRP injection and reinvented his repertoire around movement and command.

• Won Rookie of the Year in 2007 after a tearful debut, finishing with 196 strikeouts
• Went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 2013, winning the Sawamura Award and Japan Series title
• Returned from ...