The other half of an intimidating and successful pitching duo featuring Nolan Ryan in the 1970’s, Tanana won 240 games over 21 big league seasons. A first round draft pick by the California Angels in 1971, he became a rotation stalwart alongside Ryan, compiling 100 wins and earning three trips to the AllStar Game between 1974 and 1980. The hard thrower led the American League in strikeouts in 1975 and turned in the finest season of his career in 1977 when he led Major League Baseball with a 2.54 ERA and the A.L. with seven shutouts.

Following a one-year stint with the Boston Red Sox and four seasons with the Texas Rangers, he pitched eight seasons for the Detroit Tigers and won 10 or more games for them seven times. The Detroit native made playoff appearances in 1979 with the Angels and 1987 with the Tigers. In 2006 he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

He has been a leader in the Christian community within professional baseball for many years, and he and his wife, Cathy, serve on the Pro Athletes Outreach Board of Directors and are involved in the Home Plate and Career Impact ministries.