Fastball

Tomoyuki Sugano Sets High Bar Upon Meeting Orioles Teammates at Spring Training

The first thing Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano did when he reported to the Baltimore Orioles' spring training camp was set his sights on winning the World Series.

Sam Connon

Los Angeles, CA, USA; Japan starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches against the United States during the first inning of the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles, CA, USA; Japan starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches against the United States during the first inning of the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. / Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images
In this story:

Tomoyuki Sugano made it very clear what his main goal is for the 2025 season when he met his new Baltimore Orioles teammates.

Sugano arrived at the Orioles' spring training camp Saturday morning, two months after signing with Baltimore. Per the Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka, the first words the Japanese pitcher said to the rest of the team – through an interpreter – were "Let's go win a world championship."

The 35-year-old right-hander is on a one-year deal with the Orioles, so he doesn't have a particularly long runway to win a World Series in Baltimore.

Sugano is coming off 12 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, spending all of them with the Yomiuri Giants.

The Giants are the most accomplished team in NPB, leading the league with 22 Japan Series victories. Their last title came in 2012, though, and Sugano joined Yomiuri in 2013.

Sugano was a part of five Central League pennant-winning squads, but he never won a Japan Series.

Over the course of his career with the Giants, Sugano went 136-74 with a 2.43 ERA, 1.031 WHIP and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. In 2024, he went 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.945 WHIP, claiming Central League MVP for the third time.

The Orioles brought Sugano in alongside MLB veteran Charlie Morton to round out a rotation that lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency. Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Tyler Wells are all also sidelined to open the year, so the trio of Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer needed reinforcements.

Baseball Prospectus' preseason PECOTA simulations give Baltimore a 7.2% chance of winning the World Series in 2025 –  good for second-best odds in the American League and fifth-best odds across MLB. The Orioles haven't won a World Series in 42 years, however, so Sugano doesn't even have the benefit of joining a historic juggernaut this time around.

Related MLB Stories

  • JIMÉNEZ TRANSFORMS BODY: According to Rays manager Kevin Cash, former White Sox and Orioles slugger Eloy Jiménez has lost almost 25 pounds this offseason. CLICK HERE
  • BAUTISTA ON PACE TO RETURN: Felix Bautista missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the Orioles closer said he expects to be ready to go by Opening Day. CLICK HERE
  • IMANAGA SET TO MAKE HISTORY: When he takes the mound for the Cubs in the Tokyo Series next month, Shota Imanaga will join an exclusive list of Japanese pitchers. CLICK HERE

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

Home/News